Words Unspoken
by schroederplayspiano
Summary: When Cat wakes in the hospital after her accident, the only one she waits to see is Vincent. Showing up in her room, however, may lead to their secret being exposed; putting their lives and the lives of the people they care about in more danger than ever before. Especially JT and Evan, who might or might not be able to look passed their differences to work towards the same goal.
1. So Lately

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 1: So Lately…_

The streams of Daybreak through the hospital window shades awoke Cat for the first time since falling unconscious in her car…on the road…in the middle of nowhere. The memory jerked Cat more fully awake; pushing herself up, she looked around the bland room – understanding why she was here on one level and not understanding it on another.

Him.

He was all that made sense. He was the only explanation she had. He was the only explanation she wanted.

After staring at the window for some time, waiting, wishing he would appear, Cat soon turned towards the door and imagined him in the doorway. He was in his long green jacket, his blue hat in his pocket, leaning against the doorframe simply staring back at her. He was here with her.

And yet, he wasn't.

Cat didn't know how long her eyes were fixed to that one spot, but it felt like longer than anytime she had waited for him before. Soon, the sunrays rose above the window and highlighted the door's empty glass frame. Cat was sure now the sun took delight in mocking her; waking her up for the first time just to prove that he wasn't there.

Darkness came over her. With her eyes closed, Cat could see his face more clearly than when she imagined him leaning against the doorframe. His stunning blue eyes, his bangs across his face, his long scar…

Only then did she remember why she was in a car in the first place. Their night was not supposed to end like it did. She knew that. She had to find him before the night ended to make it right; to say it didn't matter, to say he was worth the risk.

Regret forced her eyes to pop open. Not allowing herself to look at the door or the window again, Cat turned to the bedside table on her left. It was filled with flowers bouquets. Somehow, she knew which ones were from him.

Instead of the over-the-top, showy bouquets that stood tall against the back edge of the table, his bouquet was the shortest and smallest, the one nearest to her pillow. For the first time since she woke, Cat smiled. When she felt a blush creep into her cheeks, she pulled her covers up to her nose until her focused eyes were her only facial feature showing. The square vase held the red roses tightly together, some of their green leaves perfectly curving around the side. Cat only disengaged from her staring when she noticed the note sticking out of it.

Quickly, excitingly, Cat sat straighter in her hospital bed. She took the note from its holder and tore it open as fast as she could.

_Catherine,_

_Get well soon. Your other family_

_misses you. The loft is not the _

_same without your constant intrusions. _

_V & JT_

Cat's smile grew as she read the note, her blush deepening with it. Though it felt like they had been a family for a long time, their note was the first time any of them acknowledged the fact. She was surprised at how much a simple statement could make her feel so complete.

Her engrossment in their note, or perhaps her confinement to a hospital bed, faltered Cat's senses to his presence.

For when he finally did appear in her doorway, just as she imagined, Cat took no notice of him at all.

* * *

Tess' lack of her partner, her best friend's presence, made her mood worse each day of her absence. She moved her head unconsciously, finding the time in the corner of her computer screen. It was only eight fifteen and she was already longing to leave work without arresting anyone today.

Hearing approaching footsteps, Tess' annoyed thoughts rolled out of her mouth. "Why can't you let this go?" Still staring at her computer clock, Tess addressed her desk visitor without looking up at him.

"What?" Evan asked with a smile. "You don't even know what I was going to say."

"I know it wasn't about Cat." Tess finally looked up at him. "And I don't have a case right now. So, yes, I do know what it was about."

Evan sighed. "I just thought you might be interested in tracking him down. You are the one who told me about him after all."

"I said I was interested in your grant money, not in your investigation." Her gaze went back to her computer just in time to see the numbers turn. She thought she would smile when they did, or at least feel relieved, but all she felt was the added weight she was caring around ever since Cat's accident. "And I'm really not interested in being your replacement for Cat and your special 'off-the-grid investigations.'"

"Tess…" Evan added empathy to his voice.

Shaking her head in disapproval, Tess took her long coat from the back of her chair and began putting it on. "It's been days. If you don't have a strong lead now, you know you're not going to find it."

"How can you say that, Tess? Being a cop who chases down leads all the time."

Tess shrugged, clearly displaying her lack of interest in her job without her partner. "I see what holding on to things like this does to people. Trust me." Feeling her jacket's pressure on her hair, she reached backward to free it. Once she flipped her hair forward, Tess grabbed her keys and stepped away from her desk. "This doesn't end well," she warned, turning back to him.

"Where – where are you going?" Evan called after her as she turned her back to him a second time.

Without changing her pace or stopping to look back at him, Tess replied. "Where do you think I'm going?"

* * *

Instead of alerting Cat to his presence, Vincent took the opportunity to stare at her. Like he had so many times before, watching her simply breathing could sooth him. For days, he was waiting to see her awake, waiting to talk to her, to apologize, to tell her she was worth the risk. Now that he was here, however, staring at her conscious figure, he was at a loss as to what to say.

Before long, Cat's senses, her pull towards him, told her he was physically here. Finally. Her breath caught when she raised her eyes to his.

"Hey." She greeted him simply.

Vincent smiled, relieved to hear her voice. He took a step towards her and repeated her words softly. "Hey."

"What are you doing here?" Cat asked the routine question she asked him every time he came to see her.

"You know," Vincent walked further into her hospital room, taking a seat near her bedside. "Asking me that is pointless. I'm always here to see you."

Though flattered, Cat couldn't help letting out a small laugh. Even though she knew that much about his behavior, she hoped he knew her constant question had more to do with his safety than his motives in coming to her. Her laugh, small as it was, sent pain through her torso, making her gasp in discomfort.

Vincent's eyes widen as he watched her instinctively place her hand on her rib cage. "Catherine…"

The concern in his voice touched Cat more than she wanted it to. Automatically, their eyes met again, and she could feel his attempt to reach out, to caress her in his loving expression. Most of all, she saw his pain at her suffering.

"Hey," Cat reached out, took hold of his hand, and squeezed it. "I'm okay. It's okay."

Her hand was warm and soft. Vincent could never get used to her touch. "No. It's not." He leaned closer to her, returning her hand squeeze. "It's not okay. This is my fault. I should have answered when you called. I should been there before any of it happened."

Watching his irrational guilt, Cat placed her palm on his cheek. "Vincent, you saved my life. Again. This isn't your fault. You can't follow me all the time."

"Yes, I can. Obviously I should."

"No you shouldn't." Cat whispered. "I need to have my own life sometimes and, you know, so do you."

So many responses came to Vincent that he ended up speechless again. Responses like she was his life, that he would gladly go wherever she went, that she didn't understand how much her accident was his fault.

"What happened to me wasn't your fault." Cat echoed his thoughts.

"Yes it was." Vincent stated strongly. "I gave you that case. I brought the two of you together. I didn't answer when you called telling me you were in trouble."

Cat's blush crept into her cheeks again. "Actually, that's not why I was calling you."

Knots formed instantly in Vincent's stomach when his gaze snapped to hers. Emotions and images from her father's wedding stirred in both of them.

"Catherine…" he begged.

"Cat?" Tess' voice interrupted their moment. Quickly Cat let go of Vincent and he sat up straight, automatically looking for the nearest exit.

Tess smiled, barely from seeing her friend awake, but more due to catching Cat trying to hide closeness with a nameless stranger.

"Your doctor said you were awake." Tess observed, her arm out to allude to Vincent. "And look, you have a special visitor already."

* * *

A/N: Just FYI, Alex (The woman we're all dreading or hoping to see), will not play a part in this story. I have other storyline lines to play out. Chapter 2 is already written, so as soon as I'm told to update, I will!


	2. Been Wondering

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 2: Been Wondering _

The hospital room was silent as Tess waited for a response to her audacious remark. She watched Cat turn back to the man, trying to silently communicate with him in the few seconds they had before the situation turned even more awkward.

"Excuse me," Vincent stood from the chair, but did not move his feet. "I should go."

Tess smirked, there was no way he was getting off the hook that easily. Especially when, looking back at Cat, it was clear his leaving was the last thing she wanted. "No. Stay!" Tess expressed her enthusiasm willingly. "I hate to interrupt. Cat doesn't want you to leave, does she? Stay, please. Keep us – er, her – company." Despite her desire to insist on her staying with them as well, Cat's tense face told her that wasn't an option. Still, Tess offered, "I can leave."

As if her words weren't even heard, Tess watched Cat and the man silently say goodbye to each other. Tess was surprised herself at how uncomfortable she became when she noticed how deep the looks of longing went between them.

Vincent stepped around Tess as he headed for the door. Tess' gaze switched back and forth between her friend's longing eyes and the back of the man's green jacket.

"Hey," Cat called after him.

Vincent turned back to look at her automatically, matching Cat's longing expression, he somehow forgot her partner was still in the room.

"Thanks for your note."

His response catching in his throat once again, Vincent's silence allowed him to stare at her one last time. "Feel better, Catherine." He whispered before exiting the room.

Once alone, Tess crossed her arms in her usual way, her familiar expression demanding an explanation from her friend and partner.

"Catherine?" Tess started incredulously. "Catherine? Since when do you go by Catherine?"

Avoiding any subject that Cat needed to, or wanted to, was becoming her specialty of late. "What are you doing here, Tess? Midmorning of a workday."

"I-" Cat's questions felt like accusations and caused Tess to stumble on her words. "I didn't have a case and it's boring at work without you," her excuse came out quickly. "And who's the hot guy, Cat?"

"Nobody," Cat said automatically. "He wasn't here."

"Really?" Tess said sarcastically with a smile. "So if I go chase him down right now, I won't find him leaving the hospital in a hurry?"

"Don't!" Cat's loud voice surprised her. Tess, too, was shocked by her urgency. "Please. If you care about me at all-"

"'If I care about you at all?' Cat, you sound like talking to your hot visitor is a matter of life and death." Now concerned, Tess took a step towards Cat and said in an ironic tone, "In case you haven't noticed, the life or death situation already happened."

Tess' words somehow gave Cat permission to let go, to breath. The worry was over. She's alive and on the mend and Vincent was here, with her, just for a moment. Cat turned towards the window as Tess took the chair Vincent previously occupied.

A moment with him was all she needed.

"So," Tess' voice broke through her thoughts. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Cat replied simply.

"When did you wake up?" Tess attempted to connect further.

Slowly, Cat rolled her head back in Tess' direction. "A few hours ago," she whispered.

Tess matched Cat's soft tone. "How are you doing? What did the doctor say?"

Cat closed her eyes for a moment. "I don't know," she answered honestly.

Tess just nodded, accepting her answered and knowing better not to push. "Where's Heather and your Dad? Do they know you're awake? Shouldn't they be here?"

"Oh my gosh," Cat's eyes opened instantly. "My Dad. The wedding. Please don't tell me I ruined everything." Tess was silent for too long allowing Cat to let out a loud sigh of exasperation before leaning back on her pillow.

"You didn't ruin everything. Just the honeymoon." Tess assured her with a slight smile. "Didn't you leave halfway through the reception?"

Cat's silence was the only confirmation Tess received.

"Where on earth were you going?" Tess pushed. "What was so important that you had to leave your Father's wedding reception early?"

Again the only answer Cat could give Tess was silence. If not for Tess noticing Cat's eyes at the door as soon as her question was asked, Tess would have become irrationally annoyed with her friend who spent the last three days fighting for her life.

Tess followed Cat's eyeline just as the light bulb went off in her head. "Oh. My. God!" Tess exclaimed with excitement. "That guy? That's who you were driving off to?"

"No, Tess. I wasn't." Cat protested, but Tess chose not to hear her.

Tess pointed to the door. "He's hot!"

"Tess…" Was all Cat could say as she begged her to drop the subject.

Tess ignored Cat again, finding the particular card she'd had hoped was just mentioned lying casually beside Cat's hip. Before Cat could do anything, Tess grabbed it from her and leaned back in her chair to start reading it.

"Your other family?" Tess questioned, obviously intrigued.

Painfully, Cat sat up and moved over in order to snatch the note from Tess. "Private. Notes are private."

"Cat, they were attached to a coma patient's flowers. JT and V, whoever they are, had to know other people were inevitably going to read it."

Closing her eyes again, Cat focused on securing their note in her left hand.

"So, which one was he? JT or V?" Tess questioned again with a smile.

"Whichever one you want him to be," Cat sighed and began searching the room for something. "Do you see my phone? I should probably call my Dad."

"You're avoiding the subject."

"I am asking my friend, who is visiting me in the hospital, to help me get a hold of my Dad. That's not an unreasonable request, is it?"

Tess lost her examiner face instantly and pulled her phone out of its belt clasp. "No," she said softly. "Of course it isn't."

"Thank you," Cat whispered her gratitude.

When Tess handed her phone to her friend, she held it back as Cat reached for it. Tess smiled at Cat's annoyed expression. "But don't think we're done talking about him."

"Of course not," was the only response Cat could give without running into more trouble. "What are friends for, if not to talk about hot visitors at hospital bedsides?"

"So, you do admit he's hot." Tess noticed with a smirk. "We are making progress."

Cat rolled her eyes as she put the phone to her ear.

* * *

Obsessing over crime photos seemed to be Evan's new hobby. Though he would never admit to anyone, the amount of time he spent sifting through these two particular sets of photos was turning unhealthy, he knew, but he couldn't help it.

His mouse stopped clicking when a photo of Cat's car appeared on his screen. The photo, which he had now seen a hundred times, highlighted the missing car door. Evan leaned closer to the screen. He had always assumed the door had unhinged on impact, but now, his eyebrows furrowed when he took interest in the bent metal that would have kept the car door attached to its hinge.

The door was ripped from the car. There was no other explanation. Evan recalled his blurry mental image of the man who held Cat tightly in his arms. While that man looked strong, there's no way he could have unhinged a car door. Evan closed his eyes, trying to sharpen his memories of that night. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how many times he recalled the memory, all he could remember was walking towards the man who held Cat as he brought her to hand her off to him.

It was strange how little of his focus was kept on Cat, even after he felt the weight of her in his arms. Most of him was focus on Cat's deliverer, who he was not entirely sure was human. Of course, the moment he registered his realization, the deliverer had disappeared completely. Literally, Evan remember, one second he was there and the next, he was gone.

Evan opened his eyes to examine the photo again. The markings on the car reminded him of claws. Looking closer at the damage, Evan could practically hear the noise of flesh ripping when he was tied up against that subway poll.

How could he not have noticed it before? It's not like he hadn't tried to connected this man, creature, to his near death experience in the tunnels, but never had he notice the car's door hinges.

After printing the picture of the car hinges and placing it in the same folder with his sketch of his lab intruder, he made one more important realization:

Cat interacted with this man, with this creature; in someway both times he had been in its presence.

Cat was lying to him.

* * *

A/N: Wow! What an enthusiastic response! Thank you so much. I hope you enjoyed this chapter - it wouldn't hurt to tell me if you did - or didn't, because Chapter Three is almost done! _xo_


	3. Who Will Be There To Take My Place

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 3: Who Will Be There To Take My Place_

_-Three Days Later-_

"Honey," Tom Chandler warned his daughter softly after following Cat to her door. "You shouldn't be bending that way to reach your keys. I shouldn't have even let you carry that one bag in the first place."

Running down the rest of the hall, Heather retrieved her own set of keys before arriving at the door. "I got it, Dad," she announced before unlocking the door.

"Really, guys." Cat said in an exasperated tone. "I'm fine. I'm pretty sure the doctor would allow me to open my own apartment door."

Heather turned to face her sister and pointed at her. "Bed rest." Her eyes widen to show how serious she was. "One Week. No exceptions."

"Yeah…" Cat started cautiously, knowing her family wouldn't like the end of her sentence. "You know that's not going to happen."

"Cat…" Tom warned.

"Okay. Do you guys know me at all? You know I can't stay locked up in this apartment for one week. It's just not possible."

"It's what the doctor ordered," Heather reminded her sister. "And I am taking the week off work to take care of you."

"No. You're not." Cat said sharply.

"Oh, come on." Heather said with a smile. "It'll be fun. We can watch old movies and get fat eating ice cream. It'll be just like old times."

"Heather, I need to stay in shape for work. If you insist on babysitting me for a week, you can do it by accompanying me on walks around the neighborhood."

"But I hate walking." Heather complained. Only Tom heard Heather. In a whisper, she added to her father, "Or running, or any kind of exercise."

Tom's only response was to smile.

"That's the deal, Heather. Take it or leave it."

Heather rolled her eyes. "Fine."

Each of the family members broke into smiles. A sound coming from her bedroom made Cat the first to break their family moment. Her heart began to race, like usual, whenever she anticipated seeing Vincent.

"Speaking of bed rest, I should probably get on that," Cat's tone was a little too eager for someone who just claimed bed rest was not for her.

"Really?" Heather looked from Cat to her Dad. "She's volunteering to get in bed? I thought I would have to find a way to tackle her into bed without hurting her ribs."

"I guess the drive over here and the walk up the stairs did wear me out more than I thought. Plus, I don't want Dad to miss his rescheduled flight."

"Which I'm still hesitant on going." Tom took a step closer to his oldest daughter. "I couldn't leave – can't leave without knowing you're totally okay."

"Well, I'm not totally okay," Cat started seriously. "Heather is planning on babysitting me for a week. That's just wrong on so many levels." She finished with a smile and a twinkle in her eye.

Tom couldn't help letting out a small laugh.

"Just go." Heather motioned to Cat's door, clearly annoyed. "Go to bed."

Still smiling, Cat said, "So bossy," before embracing her father. Tom knew to hug her gently, but he held on to her a little longer than usual giving Cat the chance to share her parting wish. "Don't be hesitant to go. Have a great time on your honeymoon for me. For your daughter, who feels terribly guilty about ending your wedding early and postponing your honeymoon."

Tom stepped out of their embrace to look Cat in the eye and stroke her cheek. "Don't feel guilty Cat. It wasn't your fault."

Knowing that it was, but discussing the matter further would lead nowhere, Cat simply said, "Have a safe flight, okay?"

Slowly, Tom's palm left her cheek. "Promise me, you'll take it easy. No crazy desires to solve a case that isn't yours, okay?"

"Okay."

Cat's response was all he could hope for. Quickly he kissed her cheek before turning to Heather to give her one as well. "Take care of her."

"Have a good time," Heather replied.

Tom paused after opening his daughters' front door. "I love you girls so much."

Cat and Heather both smiled and raised their palms in farewell before the door closed shut.

After a moment of not speaking, Heather turned to her sister and restated her earlier demand. "Bed. Cat. Now." She emphasized each word and Cat began to wonder if Heather was actually enjoying her new role more than she should.

"Goodnight," Cat offered even though it was barely five, making sure her sister had no plans to interrupt her the rest of the evening.

"Goodnight." Heather insisted.

With a little too much lightness in her step, Cat hurried to her room and excitedly closed the door behind her.

Vincent didn't even give her time to secure the door, before approaching it. "Three days is much too long to go without seeing you."

Cat smiled at him as she walked to her bedside to take off her shoes. "What, no roof tops level with my room floor?"

"None." He said over her words. "Believe me, I checked."

Tossing her shoes down, Cat gave all her attention to Vincent, whose expression on second glace, told her how much he missed her without saying a word.

"Well," she started, hoping her expression matched his. "My life was pretty dull without seeing you too."

He smiled. "That doesn't count. You've been confined to a hospital bed." As soon as he spoke, however, his smile faded.

"No, it does count." Cat kept her warm smile. "I had plenty of entertaining visitors." She shrugged lightly. "My life is just dull without you, Vincent Keller."

Vincent's response caught in his throat, her confession making his heart pound harder in his chest. After looking at the floor to stay grounded for a moment, Vincent looked up at her to meet her longing expression. Her pull towards him propelled him forward. Before he knew it, without giving himself permission, Vincent sat next to her on her bed.

Her smile faded, waiting for him to speak.

Finally, he whispered. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay." Cat whispered back. "Tired, but okay." A breeze from Cat's open window blew hair in her face. Carefully, she reached up to brush it away, but was taken by surprise when Vincent did it for her. She had hoped his hand would stop to rest on her cheek, but after one more stroke through her strands, his hand went back in his pocket. Her longing expression returned with the absence of his touch. "How are you?"

He put on a fake smile. "I'm okay."

Cat looked down at her quilt when she noticed his act for her benefit. "Talked to JT?"

Wanting to avoid the subject of his supposed changing DNA, Vincent replied lightly. "I talk to JT all the time."

"Vincent…" She warned.

"Catherine…" He echoed her tone. Cat took his plea to heart and returned her focus to loose strands on her quilt. Noticing her disappointment in his silence, Vincent finally admitted, "I talked to him."

He was grateful when her only reply was simply, "Okay." It was Vincent's turn to look down. When he found the quilt threads however, Cat put her hand over his. "We're going to figure this out. I promise you."

Vincent shook his head. "You can't me promise me that."

Like she had so many times before, Cat placed her palm on his cheek. "Yes. I can." She whispered sweetly. "We haven't come this far for any of us to give up hope now."

Vincent looked at her more deeply, leaning into her palm as she caressed his cheek, waiting for something more to happen between them.

Of course, that was impossible. He knew that, especially now.

Moving away from her touch, Vincent grew mad at himself for allowing their conversation to focus on him. He wasn't the patient arriving home from the hospital after a traumatic experience. "The doctor ordered bed rest."

Cat further withdrew her hands, doing a double take at his change of subject. Debating weather his words were a statement or a question, she knew they were meant to end all conversation on their previous subject. Trying to avoid any conflict between them, Cat suggested lightly, "You know what that means, don't you?"

Amused at her suggestion, Vincent shook his head disapprovingly. "Like I was going to let you out of my sight anyway."

Suddenly feeling the urged to lie down and close her eyes, Cat regretted bringing up the new topic. "Vincent, we just talked about this."

"Not just," Vincent matched her low-key tone. "And that was before I had to go three days without seeing you." Only when Cat closed her eyes did Vincent notice how tired she looked. "You need to take a nap…" He whispered.

"I probably should," Cat admitted it more to herself than to Vincent.

The second he stood from the bed, Cat put her feet up, further deepening Vincent's guilt of not taking better care of her. He grabbed her throw cover as she eyed it and placed it over her gently, stroking her arm as her eyelids drifted down. After a couple minutes of watching her sleep, Vincent began to walk to the window.

"Don't go," he heard when he touched the window ceil. He turned, expecting Cat's body to be turned towards him, but grateful to discover she hadn't moved at all. When he approached her, Cat whispered again, "Stay."

A slight smile appeared on his face. Silently he searched her room for a chair. Grabbing it, he positioned it as close as he could to her. "Okay," he whispered back.

His agreement was the last thing Cat heard before drifting into a deep sleep.

* * *

"Cat?" Tess' whisper woke Cat easily. "She's still asleep, Heather."

"It's been like fourteen hours." Cat heard Heather's voice come closer. "Is that too long for a recent coma patient to sleep?"

"Clearly," Tess kicked into her sarcastic mood. "You're a great caretaker for Cat."

Smiling, Cat couldn't help speaking up. "She is, actually. She let me sleep for fourteen hours without interruption."

"Hey," Tess turned to greet her friend softly. "You're awake."

"Am I supposed to wake you every few hours?" Heather panicked. "Your doctor never told me that."

Ignoring her sister, Cat addressed her friend. "Did you bring me coffee?"

"No," Tess laughed. "Was I supposed to? We can make coffee here."

"If she's even allowed to have coffee," Heather interjected.

"Alright," Cat pushed herself up, ignoring the small pain in her ribs. "Let's go get coffee."

"You are not going anywhere." Heather insisted. "You're on bed rest, remember?"

"Heather, I haven't been outside in four days. I need some fresh air. Tess, a cop, is here, and the coffee shop is just around the corner. I already have my sweats on. I'm going."

Heather turned more serious. "You are not going," she said gravely.

Tess turned back to Cat and realized her desperation in her eyes. "We'll walk slowly, Heather. Some fresh air will do her some good."

Cat stood up, eyeing her winter jacket hanging on the back of her door. When she slid on some shoes, her sister approached her. "Do you remember how much pain you were in after climbing up the stairs? That was only yesterday."

"Well, I feel much better."

"Cat…" Heather began to feel powerless.

"Ten minutes." Cat promised. "Then bed rest all day."

Cat and Tess walked passed Heather before she could protest again.

Longing for a moment alone with her friend, Tess had trouble holding her tongue until Cat made it successfully down the stairs and out of the building. "So," Tess looped her arm through Cat's – something she had never done previously. "Tell me about the guy."

"Tess!" Cat smiled and blushed. "I already told you about the guy."

"You said he was 'nobody.' That's not telling me anything."

Cat stopped, pulling Tess around to face her. "Believe me." She stressed her voice. "That's telling you a lot."

Watching Cat's face turn more and more serious and hearing the somberness in her voice, Tess suddenly realized whoever he was; he was not an object that they could joke around with. "Okay."

"Thank you." After a meaningful moment between them, Cat looped her arm back through Tess' and led her down to the coffee shop.

Tess opened the door for Cat. But, just as Cat stepped into the doorway, a man rushed out of it. The two of them collided, causing him to spill his full cup of coffee all over her.

Regret was clear in the man's expression. "I am so sorry."

Wiping the coffee off her face, Cat looked up and recognized J.T. She shook her head in disapproval. "Clumsy, much?"

Only when Tess noticed Cat sharing a meaningful look with the man, did she recognize his face from Evan's photo.

* * *

A/N: Thanks again for everyone's feedback- reviews, favorites, alerts- They keep me updating quickly. _xo.__  
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	4. When I'm Gone

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 4: When I'm Gone_

"Are you okay?" Tess heard the man ask while he still kept eye contact with her.

"You know," Cat smiled as she brushed the hot coffee off of her. "I'm pretty sure getting hot coffee spilled all over me was not my sister's idea of a safe walk to the coffee shop."

Tess watched the man smile back at Cat and tried to hold her own tongue. Their shared smiles gave Tess even more pause. Once before, she had seen coffee spilt over Cat and her reaction was a thousand times in the opposite direction to the one she was having now. It was best to fade into the background as Cat's interaction with the man in Evan's sketch played out.

"There's no such thing no such thing as a safe walk to the coffee shop anymore." J.T. smiled when he addressed Cat.

"I guess not." Cat agreed with him seriously.

When the pair slipped into silence, Tess' gaze bounced between them, watching the man's smile slowly fade as the two of them kept their contact.

"You sure you're okay?" He inquired softly. Tess could swear she heard a note of deeper meaning in his voice.

"Yeah," Cat whispered. "Thanks."

"Thanks?" Tess blurted out loudly. She couldn't help it, even if she promised herself she would stay out of their interaction. She pointed at the man, "This guy runs into you during your first walk out after your accident, spills coffee on you, and you say 'thanks.' How does make any sense at all?"

The man stepped back from them after Tess' words, breaking eye contact with Cat to briefly look at Tess.

He was definitely the man in Evan's photo.

Looking around for the nearest trash can, he walked away from the friends looking for a place to dump his empty cup.

"Hey!" Tess called after him for Evan's sake.

While he did turn around after Tess' call, he only looked at Cat. "I am really sorry again."

Despite the stress on her face, Cat smiled warmly. She put her palm up in goodbye, allowing J.T. to take his leave.

"Hey!" Tess called after him again, but he didn't turn back to her.

Quickly, Cat looped her arm around Tess' to make sure she didn't run after J.T. "Coffee now?" She pleaded. "Because now I get to look forward to the pain of changing out of these clothes."

"That was the guy in Evan's sketch." Tess stated without moving her feet, still watching him walk away despite Cat's pull on her.

"Was it?" Cat acted oblivious. "Interesting…well, we're off duty. Can we go get coffee now?" She pulled Tess towards her.

"We're off duty?" Tess mocked Cat's dismissal. When Tess faced her, Cat was shocked at Tess' annoyed expression. "What the hell was that?"

"What? It's chilly out here. Can we at least go inside?"

Tess still didn't move. "Do you know him?" She questioned, searching her friend's face. "'Cause it seemed like you did. The way you laughed off him spilling coffee on you – something you would never do for a complete stranger."

Cat finally managed to pull Tess inside. "I'm glad to know you think I'm always indifferent to strangers."

"There really seemed be vibe between you two."

Cat smiled as though Tess' words were ridiculous. "No Vibe. Have no idea who he is. I'm kind of annoyed at his coffee all over me, though."

"Don't worry, we're in a coffee shop. You're blend right in."

Tess' smile faded as Cat's grew larger, blinking once, twice; trying to absorb the realization that her best friend was lying to her face. She stood behind Cat, watching her order three coffees with excitement, sorting out her own feelings as she waited for coffee.

"Thank you," Cat said, offering Tess her cup. "For listening to me and not pushing me for details about that guy who visited me in the hospital. It means a lot, Tess."

Tess took the cup from her friend with a peculiar expression. Waiting for more explanation, her feet stayed glued to the floor. Cat reacted to her demands simply with another fake smile and motioned back towards the door, ready to leave.

Following Cat's hand towards the door, to the spot she just had coffee spilled on her, however, Tess realized Cat wasn't talking about her mysterious visitor at all.

* * *

Evan's music pounded through the morgue's door. Tess could see it shaking as she approached it. Part of her wondered if the effect was not caused, at least in part, by her own heartbeat. For while her gut confirmed she was making the right decision, her police-trained brain cautioned her against fulfilling her intent.

She took a deep breath as she opened Evan's door. "Rocking out?" she yelled over his obnoxious music.

Evan did a double take from the body he was examining when he noticed Tess leaning against his doorframe. That was Cat's usual spot and he was surprised how unsettling it was to see Tess there, especially when Cat couldn't be. Taking in Tess' image for a moment too long, Evan's conscious jerked him out of his thoughts to reach for his ipod.

Once the morgue was silent, Evan addressed Tess' casual behavior. "What are you doing here? I thought you taking care of Cat."

Tess pushed herself up to sit on the counter. "Heather insisted Cat take a nap, and watching people sleep freaks me out."

"How is she?" Evan asked, returning to his dead body.

"She's good." Tess paused, debating whether to continue. "She even insisted on walking to her favorite coffee shop, and-" She stopped when she noticed Evan's lack of interest. Good, she decided, always better to follow your gut than your head.

Evan looked up when the sound of talking in the room ceased. "And – what?"

"And…" Tess ran though possibilities of things to say. "And, it's nice to see you actually working and not wasting all your energy trying find a guy who you have no leads on."

"Actually," Evan announced with pride. "I found a lead."

"What?" Tess was shocked at how fast concerned for Cat flowed through her. "On your sketch guy?"

"No, unfortunately." Disappointment was clear in his voice. "On the creature that saved me in the tunnels."

"Okay…" Tess' impatient voice asked for more information.

Evan threw down his tools, anger growing in him, and aggressively took off his gloves. "It's Cat."

"What?" Tess furrowed her eyebrows and crossed her arms. "What do you mean 'it's Cat'?"

"She was there both times I saw this man-creature, and after her accident, he was holding onto her like – like he didn't want to let her go."

"There was somebody else with Cat during her accident?" Tess stood from the counter. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"I don't know," Evan sighed and looked away from her. "I was trying to make sense of it myself…and then you said you didn't want to be Cat's replacement in my off-the-grid investigations."

"This isn't one of your off-the-grid investigations, Evan!" Tess raised her voice at him. "This is my best friend!"

"And she's the one whose been lying to both of us!" Evan yelled back. Instantly regretting it, Evan calmed himself down with an apologetic look. After taking several moments for them to regulate their breathing, he whispered. "I have enough evidence for an official investigation, Tess. Gathering information from Cat might give me a good chance at figuring it out."

"You think you can make a case against Cat?" Tess asked in disbelief.

"Not a case against her, Tess. A case with her." Evan announced proudly, however when he saw the anxiety on her face, he knew Tess was keeping something from him. "What aren't you telling me?"

* * *

"Tess is not going to say anything, J.T." Cat told him on the phone as she winced in pain lying back against her bed pillows.

"You don't know that," she heard J.T.'s voice in her ear. "Not for sure."

Cat started to warn him, "J.T.-"'

"And how could you not tell us – me – that Evan was looking for me, had a sketch done-"

"I didn't know!" Cat's raised her voice as she became more defensive. "Not until the wedding and then, well I couldn't-"

"Cat." J.T. said her name with a touch of anger. "I know you've had a rough week and I feel for you, I do, but a simple text keeping me informed wouldn't have been too hard, would it? You would have expected as much from me."

"I'm sorry. You're right, I should have." Cat whispered on the phone. "Listen to me, J.T. They're my friends. I got you guys into this, I'll figure out a way to get you out."

"Don't be a martyr, Cat." J.T. told her, starting to lose his patience. "It might have been your idea to go into Evan's lab, but I didn't object to it." He waited for a reply, but when he didn't receive one, he added, "We're in this together."

Cat smiled to herself briefly, but quickly returned to her serious state. "So, what do we do?"

"We need a plan. Some story that we can tell people if they ask."

"Okay." Cat agreed. "Like what?"

"I don't know. Honestly, I can't help wondering if we should just start packing now."

Cat's heart dropped, moving was the last thing she wanted them to do. "There must be an easier solution."

"Packing is pretty much the simplest solution out there."

Suddenly, a light turned on in her head. "Vincent told you about his DNA mutating, right?"

A noise near her window jerked Cat's head in its direction. Vincent was here.

She watched him climb through her window as J.T. spoke. "Cat. I know you're worried about him, but that's not the point right now."

"No, I know," she said without thinking, focusing most her energy on Vincent approaching her bedside and sitting next to her. "But you need a DNA analyzer, right? Why don't you use the one at work?"

"What?" J.T. blurted out.

"You're crazy." Vincent echoed his friend's thoughts.

"Vincent?" J.T. spoke through phone.

"Hi J.T."

"How long have you been there?"

"He just got here," Cat chimed in while putting her phone on speaker. "I'm just saying we need to get ahead of the problem. Why don't we kill two birds with one stone? Instead of waiting for Evan to find you, we should go to him – figure out a way to get you into that lab regularly."

Her words drew Vincent closer to her, both physically and emotionally. Though the idea scared him, he couldn't help thinking about how brilliant it was. "You want J.T. to keep an eye over Evan while they're both studying my DNA?"

"Yes! That's a great idea!" J.T. turned excited with sarcasm. "Why don't we put the world's worst actor nervously in with a bunch of police detectives? That doesn't spell disaster at all."

Cat sighed. Wanting alone time with Vincent, she selfishly hoped their conversation would end soon. "Will you at least think about it?"

"If you keep an eye on Tess." He demanded.

"Fine." Cat hung up the phone and threw it to the end of her bed. When she looked back at Vincent, she was met with his familiar longing expression that could never she could never get used to. "Hi," she greeted him properly.

"Hi," he said softly, scooting even closer to her. "How are you feeling?"

Cat broke from his gaze to watch his body come closer to hers, his hand reaching up to stroke her arm. She closed her eyes at his touch. "Better, now that you're here," Cat whispered. "I'd hope you would be here when I woke up this morning."

"I was here." He told her, causing Cat to look up at him. "I stayed with you the entire night."

"You did?" Cat asked, a small blush coming into her cheeks.

"How could I not?" Vincent looked deeper into her eyes. "It's hard enough every time I have to leave you – but when you ask me specifically to stay, it's impossible."

For once, Cat was not thinking about his safety at all when she commented, "I can't believe you stayed here all night…"

"It was worth the risk, Catherine."

Cat's breath caught and she felt her heart swell at his words. Before she knew it, she had placed her palms on either said of his face.

Gazing deeply into each other's eyes, Cat and Vincent both began to feel a larger force pulling them together. As he leaned closer to her, Cat watched his eyes close before sliding hers down as well.

Just as Cat felt Vincent's breath on her lips, she heard her sister cry out, "Cat! I brought home food and a movie. You better not be sleeping!"

When Cat opened her eyes to answer Heather, Vincent was gone.

* * *

A/N: Oh. My. Gosh. Just kiss already!


	5. You'll Need Love

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 5: You'll Need Love_

"I thought sleeping was a good thing," Vincent heard Cat casually answer her sister from the fire escape.

She was good at that, carrying on as though nothing major had just happened moments before. Her skill was necessary for them to be in contact with each other. At times like these, however, Vincent wished Cat wasn't a skilled actor. For, it seemed like she could easily forget with the scene that just passed between them while he hung onto it, replaying it over and over again.

He watched her for a few more moments; propping herself up against pillows as her sister rolled in their TV. She was safe now. Worrying about her any more after missing his first real chance at kissing her would only cause his emotions to explode.

And he knew the outcome if they did.

Looking down at the metal escape steps with disappointment, Vincent walked up them with a heavy tread. How could he feel so excited and hopeful, yet so frightened and torn at the same time? He couldn't do this, he knew. Perhaps there was a chance before, when his blackouts were cured and he saw a light at the end of the tunnel. But now? If his was really being honest with himself, all he saw was darkness.

More animal?

Vincent jumped from one roof to the next on his way home; his worried thoughts blocking him from replaying the scene in Cat's bedroom continuously. The last time he had transformed, at the scene of her accident, Vincent felt like he had more control. Not only more control with his actions, but also with the transformation itself.

As Vincent landed on the roof of his warehouse, he heard JT's pacing, his heart pounding faster than ever. While Vincent was used to his friend's freak-outs, it was the last thing he wanted to deal with at this particular moment. He starred at his friend for one more moment before turning away, wondering which one of them needed a therapy session more.

For now – as he had nowhere else to go, Vincent decided to stay put on his rooftop, waiting as much for JT's anxiety to simmer down as his own.

* * *

"I'm just saying," Heather brought the covers closer to her as she leaned into the pillows. "Winter just isn't complete without a Lord Of The Rings marathon."

"You're only saying that because we missed it before the New Year." Cat told her. "What you actually mean is the holidays aren't the complete without one."

Heather rolled her eyes. "Correct me all you want big sister, you know its true."

Cat shrugged casually and smiled. "Well, I never rejected your idea."

Heather's smile faded as she watched her sister. "You look better."

"I feel better," Cat said. "Despite having coffee spilled all over me this morning."

Heather reached out to place her hand on Cat's cheek. They both turned serious. "I was really worried about you," Heather whispered.

"I know you were." Cat grabbed Heather's hand and squeezed it. "But I'm okay." Cat hoped Heather would return her squeeze. When she didn't, Cat added. "I promise."

Still somber, Heather started, "Cat-" but was soon interrupted by knocking at their door. They both rose from their pillow supports. "Are you expecting anyone?"

"No," Cat answered, curious. "Are you?"

Heather stood from the bed, and replied "no," before walking out of the room in the door's direction.

Cat listened closely to each footstep until hearing Heather's excited, "Evan!"

Her heartbeat quicken in panic. He was the last person she wanted to see right now. Listening to their voices, as Heather walked him to her bedroom; concern for her sister's heart interrupter her flustering thoughts. She knew, whatever way the future went, Heather's feelings for Evan did not end well.

"See, I told you she looked better!" Heather exclaimed to Evan when he entered Cat's doorway. He leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms as he looked at Cat.

Given the coldness behind his eyes, neither did this conversation.

"She does, indeed."

There was a moment of silence, in which Heather kept smiling, oblivious to the seriousness shared between Cat and her visitor.

Prolonged silences were something Heather always had a hard time adjusting to. Nonchalantly, Heather asked Evan, "Can I get you anything?"

"Actually, Heather, can I have a minute alone with your sister?"

"Oh!" Heather finally looked between them and lost all the excitement in her voice. "Sure."

Evan waited just long enough for Heather to step back before shutting the door behind him. He resumed his cold position as soon as they were alone, though, crossing his arms back together and piercing Cat with his expression.

"Glad you're feeling better," he said shortly.

"Are you?" Cat questioned. "Because that's not the vibe I'm getting."

Instantly, warmth entered his body and he dropped his arms. Walking towards her bed, he said, "Sorry."

Cat tried hard to smile, but couldn't. "What are you doing here, Evan?"

"I'm here to see you." Evan stated, hoping Cat would respond. However, when she just raised her eyebrows, he added, "I was hoping we could talk for a minute." Still Cat didn't speak, and he took the opportunity to sit on the edge of her bed. "I was wondering if you were interested in helping me on my cross species DNA research."

Cat was grateful at least Evan couldn't pick up on her racing heartbeat. "Wh-Why? Why would I be interested in that? You know I let it go…"

"Yes, but I thought given its tie into your mother's case and how passionate you are about solving it, you might have some insight, some different perspective that would be beneficial."

"Evan…" Cat warned him. "You know how hard it was for me to let go of her case. To reopen it again – would be too painful, especially now," Cat motioned to her injuries.

The room went silent. This time it was Cat who waited impatiently for a response as watched Evan break contact with her and look away disappointed.

"Cat," Evan started softly. "I want your help with my research, not to bring you pain or open old wounds, but to help give us both closure. That animal, whatever it is, saved both of us and I don't believe for a second that you wouldn't want to know more about it."

Slowly, Cat shook her head, "Evan…"

"Right," he said disappointedly, but not surprised. Realizing that pushing her more by accusing her of lying to him, especially when she was in bed recovering, would not be productive or proper. Standing, he excused himself. "My apologies. My research should be the last thing on your mind right now. Tess told me you were feeling better and I have been waiting to talk to you so-"

"You talked to Tess?"

Evan pursed his lips and smiled at Cat in conformation. "She's a good friend to you, Cat." He whispered at her door before taking his leave. "I wish I had a friend like that in my life."

* * *

Vincent watched Cat's car approach from his spot on the rooftop. What was she thinking, driving here while on recovery? This was the opposite of bed rest.

Groaning, he jumped off the roof to greet her. Driving to him was the last thing she was supposed to be doing. Why give her his cell phone number if she wasn't going to use it?

He closed his eyes when he remembered the last instance she had called him; the instance that led to her to be injured in the first place, the phone call she told him that had nothing to do with the crash that followed.

She was now leaning aganist her car, his senses told him. Vincent's eyes opened to find Cat, like he had so many times before, waiting for him.

Vincent and Cat stared at each other for several moments, trying to communicate in their silence.

A thousand angry words came to him; how she shouldn't have driven here, how she was supposed to be resting, how parking her car so close was risky in the middle of the day...

"Your sister is the worst caretaker for you," was all he stumbled out.

"She had a date," was all her reply.

They fell into their silence again, watching thoughts pass through the other's heads. Vincent could watch her all day; how the wind gathered her hair, how beautiful she looked despite her bandages and sweats, how close he came to kissing her...

Cat finally smiled at him, as if knowing his thoughts. "You going to invite me in or what?"

Vincent did not return her smile. Too many emotions tied his stomach into knots. While it was a little too easy for part of him to breath naturally, the other part had trouble finding air. Somehow, he found a retort, "Since when do you ask permission?"

"I'm recovering from a car accident. Sliding under a fence doesn't seem like a smart decision."

"Unlike your decision to drive here by yourself."

Cat smile widened. "Oh, would you rather Tess drove me?"

"Catherine…" He warned genuinely.

"Are you going to jump over the fence and carry me in or would you rather me take on your uninviting fence?"

Vincent couldn't believe he actually considered her question for a moment longer than necessary. When he reached her, he didn't ask permission to lift her into his arms. Before she knew it, she was gracefully scooped up. He pulled her close to him, closer than what his job required, and she leaned her head on his shoulder.

After making it successfully over the fence, which Vincent would admit he had apprehension about, he stopped in his tracks. "Don't get used to it," He told her breathlessly.

"No, I'm going to get very used it," Cat whispered. "If you don't mind."

Even though he didn't mind at all, Vincent found himself shaking his head, wondering how much longer phrases like that would come out of her mouth. Cat loosed her grip on him and they looked deeply at each other again, wondering how much longer he was going to hold on to her.

She received her answer when he looked away from her to focus on the warehouse door. Smiling once again, Cat sunk deeper into his arms, resuming her head position on his shoulder.

"Well, well." J.T. greeted them at the door. "If it isn't dumb and dumber…interacting with each other… at the door…in broad daylight." He sighed, turning his back on them.

"Hey," Cat called after him as they walked up the stairs. "We need to talk."

"I thought we just did that…on the phone…an six hours ago." J.T. turned back to Cat, who Vincent still held, once they were all in the warehouse's living area. He crossed his arms, examining her. "How are going to recover if you are never planning on going on bed rest?"

"We have to come up with a plan about Evan now." Cat ignored J.T. "We don't have time to just think about it."

"Yes," J.T. agreed with sarcasm. "Because the best plans are always the ones that have no thought put into them."

"Evan knows I'm lying to him."

"What?" J.T. exclaimed.

"When did you talk to Evan?" Vincent looked at Cat in his arms.

"He came by while we were watching movies." Cat answered Vincent and then turned to J.T. "I think you need to approach him now, before he has another chance to question me about it."

"Or…" J.T. said hopefully. "I could just hide out here with my supposedly dead roommate."

"J.T., he'll find you here. We did before-" Abruptly, Cat addressed Vincent, "Are planning on putting me down anytime soon?"

"No…" Vincent answered slyly.

"No. Please." J.T. interjected shortly. "This is getting ridiculous."

Sighing, Vincent finally gave in to their wishes and put Cat down slowly. As soon as he did, however, Cat lost her balance.

"Whoa," slipped out of Cat as her hands rose to assess her dizziness.

Vincent crouched down to her instantly, preventing her fall "Catherine!"

Cat looked up at him with an apologetic expression before dropping into his arms unconsciously.

* * *

A/N: Cat really has a thing or two to learn about the concept of bed rest. I don't think walks to coffee shops or drives to distant warehouses are included.


	6. To Light The Shadows On Your Face

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 6: To Light The Shadows On Your Face_

"Why did you ever tell me to put her down?" Vincent cornered JT after taking Cat to his bed and making sure she would be okay. "This is your fault!"

"Okay." JT raised his palms to caution Vincent. "Fault? This isn't about fault." He wanted to remind him that, if it was anybody's fault, it was Cat's – it was her choice to drive while she was still sick, still on bed rest. "We now have a much bigger problem, it's now nightfall and her family will come looking for her. She can't stay here."

"Well she can't leave!" Vincent yelled angrily.

JT winced at Vincent's shouting. He knew better than to speak again. After living in their situation for ten years JT knew how close Vincent was to letting his emotions take over him. When he felt Vincent back away from him, JT opened his eyes. Vincent was pacing up and down in front of Cat's sleeping body, trying to calm himself.

Desperately, JT searched his loft without moving. Where were her car keys? Cat sometimes dropped them on their kitchen table. There weren't there. The next likely place was his work desk next to their second story door, but they were not there either. The back of his head banged against the wall when he realized Vincent carried her in, the only place her keys could be was with her.

Reaching into Cat's pocket was the last thing JT could do; given Vincent was still guarding her as if her life depended on his actions. Suddenly, Vincent stopped pacing. JT followed his eye line to the desk where they kept medical equipment to keep track of Vincent's other, more animal side. JT stepped closer to the bed, watching his friend hook Cat up to the monitor.

After JT saw Cat's regular heartbeat, he took a risk in whispering, "See? She's fine, Vincent."

Vincent sharply turned to his friend. JT was surprised to see fury still in his eyes. "She is not fine!" Though not yelling, Vincent's cold voice sent anxiety through JT. Giving up, JT threw his arms in the air and he walked away. He took a seat near a partially covered window, watching the street below them through its crack.

"Catherine," Vincent calmed himself down enough to sit next to her on his bed. Gently, he placed his palm on her shoulder, his fingers tracing her collarbone. "Catherine?"

"Vincent!" JT yelled, forcing Vincent to stand. "There's some car stopped behind Cat's! You have to go!"

JT's tones of panic changed from moments ago. When his eyes met Vincent's, Vincent knew degree of seriousness JT was conveying.

No matter who came, no matter what happened, Vincent wasn't leaving her.

"Vincent!" JT walked closer to him. "You need to go now!" Vincent didn't bulge, however, still keeping an eye on Cat. JT tried, "At least go to the roof or something!"

Vincent heard the car's engine turn off.

Fear and anger was not a good combination, Vincent knew. Starting to feel his other side take over, he turned to Cat, hoping the sight of her would relax him. The sound of a car door opening came at exactly the wrong moment, however. For just when Vincent noticed Cat stirring, his beast took over him.

JT's attention tore from the window to watch the transformation. Sighing deeply in exasperation, JT rounded the bed in a wide manner. He approached Cat from the opposite side of the bed to where his friend was pacing in a violent state.

JT strongly took hold of Cat's arm and her eyes shot open. She quickly looked for the source of the pressure, connecting JT's large eyes with the state of the being to her right.

"Vincent!" Cat yelled. Cautiously, she pushed herself off the bed. Vincent's beast turned in her direction, now stopping to snarl at her. "I'm okay. It's okay." Cat walked one step at time to the being before them. She placed her palms up as she approached him, saying softly. "I'm okay, Vincent. It's going to be okay, I promise you."

Slowly, the beast began to disappear. When Cat was in arm's length of him, she reached for his face, waiting him out until he returned back to her. Vincent let out a cry of relief when he saw Cat in front of him, automatically pulling her into an embrace and holding her to him.

"I'm okay," Cat whispered again when she reached around to place her hand on the back of his neck, her fingers weaving in and out of his hair. "I'm okay."

JT dashed past the couple as they continued to hold on to each other and ran to the cracked window. "They're gone!"

"Who's gone?" Cat asked, surprised, pulling herself out of Vincent's arms. "What are you talking about?"

Cat walked towards to JT, but was pulled back by her elbow; Vincent insisting she sit in a nearby chair.

JT turned back to her, "There was a car that pulled up just behind yours. It must have only been there for what – five minutes – less?"

"They turned their engine off and I heard a car door slam."

Cat turned to Vincent. "I shouldn't have parked so close. I should have called. I'm so sorry-"

"No," Vincent refused to hear her apology. "I need change my behavior so you'll trust I'll answer your calls."

"No." JT interjected and pointed at Cat. "She needs to park further away."

"JT, I'm sorry." Cat reached out, but JT shrugged off her apology as well. "So," Cat was almost afraid to ask. "What do we do now?"

"I need to figure out how to contact Evan and you find a way to get Cat home."

"What?" Vincent asked, horrified at both demands.

"Believe it or not, you are safer on Cat's fire escape than you are here." Cat looked between Vincent and JT as another one of their secrets was exposed. "And since you two idiots are determined not to stay away from each other, at least you can have company in your idiocy."

"Or they could have recorded my license down. In which case, it's possible they could track me."

"Then you say you were checking out an abandon warehouse on police business."

"Well," Cat crossed her arms despite stress leaving her body. "Haven't you thought of everything?"

"I'm preparing for my meeting with Evan," JT retorted.

"Which," Vincent moved from Cat to focus on JT. "I don't think is a good idea."

"You were on board this morning."

"I thought your nervousness would keep out of it."

"So, really," JT accused Vincent. "You were just complimenting Cat."

Like so many times before, JT's bluntness caused a blush to creep into Cat's cheeks and a look of betrayal to appear on Vincent's face.

"No," Vincent corrected him. "I agreed we need a plan. I didn't think we would all go for the first plan thought of."

"Do you have a better idea?" JT asked seriously.

"JT, you hate the police. How are you going to focus and lie at the same time?"

"Well, Cat does it all the time," JT offered flippantly. "So I thought I'd take lessons from her." He waited for objections to his curt comment. Vincent and Cat glanced at each other with apprehension, but said nothing. "All we all agreed? Vincent can help me track him down some day this week."

The warehouse was silent, each one of them daring the other to speak.

Vincent was the first to break the silence. "Are you sure?

"Vincent, I have been pacing for the last three hours, running through everything in my head." JT retold Vincent of what he saw earlier. "Other than leaving, which now has its own risks because we don't know what's going on with you, this is the best option. Evan is not Murfield. I'd rather be chasing Evan than be running from him."

"JT-"

Instead of addressing Vincent, JT only looked at Cat. "Now one of us has to take you home. I'd love to, but my guess is you'll want the more risky, illegal driver to take you."

Vincent optimistically raised his eyebrows to Cat. Exhaustion took over her and all she could do was place her keys in his hand.

"That's what I thought," JT said, knowing no one heard him as they made their way out the door.

* * *

Evan hated to admit it, especially given her betrayals in his relationship with Cat, but on days like today, work was horrible without her. Work was so slow that he even had time to go through Cat's accident and the subway's tunnel photos twice before giving up to walk across the street for a cup of coffee; an indulgence he would usually never allow during work hours.

He had a strange feeling when crossing the street, almost as if someone was watching him. He forced himself to shrug it off when he reached the coffee shop's door, trusting that he was safe as long as he could see his own police station. Evan smiled at the woman taking his order, noticing her blush still warming her cheeks as he sat down.

"Evan Marks." JT announced the instant Evan made contact with his seat.

Evan's gaze froze when he saw JT across from him. "You." Despite only seeing a rough sketch of him without his glasses, Evan would know his face anywhere.

"Me." JT replied with a smirk.

"You broke into my lab," Evan spoke and then regretted his simple words; sounding more like a schoolboy than an M.E.

"Well, technically I was let in," JT retorted casually. "But I can understand how you would see it that way."

"By who?" Evan jumped on the stranger's confession.

JT leaned in closer with a smirk on his face. "That's confidential information."

Evan's eyes turned into slits, the gall the man before him possessed caught him speechless.

JT's smile widened. "I have a proposal for you. I am also doing research on the creature's DNA you have started to study and thought we combine our projects to find more conclusive results."

"Excuse me?" Evan asked, outraged.

"I'm not interested in your grant money, if that's what you're worried about. I just thought two people with the same goal working together will achieve it much faster."

"Who are you?" Evan stumbled over his words. "And how do you know so much about my research?"

"I have friends in high places."

"Really? And these friends wouldn't include Catherine Chandler, would they?"

"Was she the one claiming a beast saved her?" JT asked smoothly. "I kept her article. That's how I found you - from reading about what happened to you in the tunnels. I also know how hard it is to let something like that go."

"Do you?" Evan watched him suspiciously.

JT broke contact with Evan to pull something from his bag. He placed two sheets of stapled paper on the table separating them. "I wrote a proposal for you, clarifying specifics around shared information, common goals, lab time, and what not. Think it over and get back to me."

JT stood to leave, expecting Evan to stop him. And when he did, JT met his eye line. "You do know that there's a police station across the street, right? You aren't expecting to walk out of here free are you? Breaking and entering is a criminal offence."

JT didn't try to move at Evan's physical threat. Instead he shrugged casually. "Well, like I said, I didn't break in, I was let in. And you really don't want to pull the law into this-"

For the first time, Evan raised his voice. "Oh, I don't?"

"No, because you are more interested in my research than exacting justice. Besides, you really don't want to mess with my friends and the power they hold over all of us-"

"Including that creature?"

JT practiced a smile that would send shivers down Evan's spine. "Read it over. Let me know what you think."

Quickly, Evan flipped through the two pages. "There's no contact info. How do I find you?"

"Oh, you don't find me, Mr. Marks. I find you."

Succeeding in his goal to leave Evan speechless again, JT walked passed him and disappeared in New York's crowded streets.

* * *

"Are you sure you feel well enough to go in today?" Vincent leaned against Cat's doorframe as she changed from her pajamas in her bathroom.

"Bed rest is fulfilled, got to go back to work."

"That wasn't the question."

Cat smiled, reentering her room fully dressed. Though only in jeans and a sweater, Vincent memorized her perfect image. "Vincent, you have watched over me for six days now, only leaving my bedside when my sister enters the room. You have forced bed rest on me to the extreme. I'm sure I am ready to go back to work." Cat stated strongly before sitting on her bed to put on her boots.

"Okay." Vincent approached her bed and sat close to her. "Only if you're sure."

Cat finished zipping up her boots before turning to him. "I am sure."

Vincent half-smiled at her, bringing his hand up to tuck a stand of hair behind her ear. Boldly, he kept his palm on her cheek and she surprised him by leaning into it. Even her simple movements could create butterflies within him and his breath caught when their eyes met.

"Even so," Vincent tried to ignore his emotions. "You have my number in case you need me?"

"However much I discourage it," Cat whispered. "I know you're planning on following me around all-"

"That's not what I meant," Vincent matched her tone. "In case there's another reason you want to call me."

Memories of her Father's wedding and his visit to her hospital bed rushed back to Cat. Slowly, she looked back at him to find him already leaning in to her. She closed her eyes, moving closer to him as her stomach instantly tied into knots.

Their lips met slowly; only meeting briefly before parting. Still, no one moved, Vincent's nose stayed in the crook of her own, moving against the softness of her skin. He didn't dare open his eyes as he went in for another kiss, just as soft and perfect as the last.

Cat reached for him before their lips separated a second time. Her astonishment at his actions – that he was kissing her, on her bed, before work, kept her from making any sudden movements. Her eyes fluttered open subconsciously only to see Vincent's eye lashes hovering over her skin. She couldn't help leaning into him again; her arms tightening around him the longer they kissed.

As they deepened their embrace, something stirred within Vincent. It took him a moment to figure out that this new spark – whatever it was – had nothing to do with romance.

Fear forced him to tear away from Cat. She kept her hands in their position until she let out an unconscious gasp.

He didn't have to look at her to know his beast had, at least in part, taken over him.

* * *

A/N: And now the story can really begin! Thanks for waiting for the update. _xoxo_


	7. If A Great Wave Shall Fall

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 7: If A Great Wave Shall Fall…_

"Vincent," Cat demanded his attention after being ignored twice. "Look at me."

Look at her? How could he possibly look at her now, after ruining what was supposed to be the best moment of his life?

"Look at me." Cat demanded again, gluing her palm to his cheek in a way that even he couldn't brush it aside.

Once she touched him – in his half beast state, he had no choice but to meet her demands. When he did, Vincent's own facial features started to return. He hated her power over him, even when it was beneficial.

Cat smiled when Vincent returned. Her thumb caressed his skin, waiting for him to return her smile. When he didn't, she resorted to words. "It's okay, Vincent." Still, she didn't receive a response. Whatever hopes had arisen upon witnessing his smooth transformation were dashed when he broke contact with her.

No words were needed between them. Cat forgot about her disappointed hopes and lost herself in concern for him. She knew all his embarrassments and regrets without him speaking a word.

Before long, she soon felt his desire to leave to recover by himself. "I should probably head to work," she whispered for him.

Vincent stood when she did and headed towards the window, the opposite direction from where she was busy gathering her belongings for the day. Touching the window, he remembered the one specific reason he came to her before she went to work. "I meant to tell you," He turned back to her. "JT's working with Evan today, so if you see him don't be alarmed."

"Oh," Cat exclaimed, shocked. "Wow. I didn't know they had already started."

"Yeah. JT found him a couple of days ago and cornered him in the coffee shop again."

"Why didn't you tell me that?" She whispered.

"I didn't want you to worry any more than you do." His words, his soft tone, propelled them to stare at each other from across her room. Not able to torture himself anymore, Vincent leaned down into the window.

"Hey," Cat called him back. She saw a mixture of impatience and longing. "I promised you we would figure this out and we will. You're - we're - worth every risk for me."

Her confession stopped his plan to leave. Vincent wished he could repeat her words back to her, but found he couldn't. His head filling with so many contradicting thoughts that it prevented him from uttering a word.

Vincent tore himself out of their looks of longing and climbed out of her window. Once apart, Cat and Vincent both leaned against a wall for support, forgetting everything else but the overwhelming feeling of their lips touching.

* * *

"Cat!" Tess' yell disturbed the entire precinct. "You're back!"

When Cat came close enough, Tess reached out and wrapped her arms around her friend. "You saw me yesterday." Cat said, still trapped in her embrace. "And when did you become such a hugger?"

Tess released Cat with an annoyed playfulness. "I missed you."

Cat dropped her belongings on her desk and shook her head in disapproval. "Right."

"So," Tess fell to her chair. "How are you?"

"Fine…" Cat replied.

"Really?" Tess smirked. "Because the blush on your cheeks combined with that contemplative look on your face tells me otherwise."

"Well, the whole room is staring at us. Maybe that explains it."

"I doubt it."

Cat crossed her arms. Standing over Tess, she forced Tess to exchange her current expression for a more serious one. "Do we have a case yet?"

"Not yet, but I'm sure our phones will ring the second we're in the middle of a deep conversation." Not picking up on Tess' hint for a desire to talk, Cat smiled and sat down, opening her email on instinct. "Cat," Tess peaked from behind her monitor. "I have a surprise for you."

Cat kept her focus on her screen. "I don't like surprises."

"That's why I'm giving you a head's up."

After a deep breath, Cat gave in, meeting Tess' partially hidden face at the side of her own monitor. "A head's up about what?"

"Evan found that sketch guy, he's in the morgue." She waited for Cat's response, but received none. "Coffee guy," Tess reminded her.

"What coffee guy?" Cat was sure to hold Tess' gaze. "There was no coffee guy."

"Right…" Tess answered slowly, nodding. For a long minute, the women stared at each other, trying to communicate. "Just like there was no hot guy at your bedside."

"I am not fortunate enough to have hot guys visit me at the hospital, no."

Tess' smile grew wider and wider with each moment that passed. Cat couldn't help mirroring the smile. Once she was conscious of her reaction, Cat snapped her attention back to her work. She was able to glance at her inbox, before feeling Tess' stares.

"Okay!" Cat let go of her mouse. Tess' victorious smile greeted her when Cat returned her focus on her friend. Cat could swear Tess jumped in her seat after her surrender was given. Leaning forward, Cat whispered, "While we're on the subject, I know I owe you big time for not saying anything to Evan. So, um, thanks."

"So, um, thanks?" Tess raised her voice. "That's not much of a repayment – especially when Evan introduced the guy to me as JT Forbes. Huh, he must be the guy that sent you the flowers"

"Shhh!" Cat raised her hands, panicked.

Tess leaned forward, whispering, "That's not a thank you either."

"Then what is?" Cat retorted.

"Details," Tess suggested. Amused, Cat smiled. When Tess raised her eyebrows in question, Cat shook her head. "Oh, come on!"

"Cat!" Evan was the second person to yell her name across the room within ten minutes. When the women turned, they saw a nervous JT in tow. Cat tried not to laugh at his awkwardness in his new environment. Approaching her desk, Evan told her. "Welcome back."

"Thanks."

Tess' phone rang. Just like she predicted, her call had the worst timing. Determined to hear both conversations, Tess only walked a foot away and kept her sights on JT and Cat the whole time.

"I wanted to introduce you to my new assistant," Evan motioned to JT. "Cat, JT. JT, this is my good friend, Cat."

JT reached out to Cat. "Hello."

Cat put on a distant smile when she took his hand. "Hi."

"He's going to be helping me with my DNA research."

"Great," Cat smiled at Evan.

"Really?" Evan asked, surprise evident in his face. "I thought you didn't support my research."

"I wasn't interested in helping you, but I never said you shouldn't do it." Cat was grateful she could be honest. Evan searched her face, attempting to find the anxiety that was usually on her face when they talked about the subject and was perplexed when he couldn't.

Tess hung up her phone but chose to wait to interrupt the gathering at her desk. Other than looking uncomfortable there was no way someone could guess JT and Cat knew each other. She had hoped to see them interact again, but when they didn't, she caught her partner's attention. "We have a case."

"Oh! Great." Cat instantly moved from her visitors and grabbed her coat. "Let's go."

In parting, Evan pleaded, "Bring me back something good."

Cat laughed it off, halting when she found JT in her path. When their gazes collided, they both felt pressure to speak. "Good luck with your research."

"Thanks." JT stood still. "Hopefully we'll have more luck than this morning."

Cat froze mid-step; his words repeating in her head. She looked back at him.

From his expression, she realized he already talked to Vincent; JT knew everything.

Aware of her deepening blush, Cat turned from him and grabbed the keys from Tess. "I'm driving," she announced, already halfway to the door.

"You are not!" Tess ran after her.

Cat and Tess argued all the way to the car. Once in sight, Cat sprinted ahead and opened the driver's door before Tess could catch up with her.

"Alright." Tess said, buckling her seatbelt. "I'll let you drive-"

"Let me drive? I won fair and square."

Tess reemphasized her words. "I will let you drive, but you have to give me details."

"Where are we going?" Cat asked, pulling out of the parking space.

"Flooding at Joseph's Gelato."

"As in ice cream?"

Tess sighed, choosing to ignore Cat's obvious question. "The daughter of the family who owns the parlor was found unconscious from an concussion. Apparently, she discovered the damage by slipping on the floor. She fell on her back and hit her head."

Cat looked at Tess briefly. "And this is special crimes because?"

"I guess we'll find out."

The rest of the car ride was silent. Cat could feel Tess' desire to gossip seeping out of her, but she resisted any hint of it. Instead, Cat found herself replaying memories of her kiss with Vincent over and over…and over again.

Cat was still replaying their kiss when she walked up to the crime scene. Joseph's Gelato parlor was a wreak. Water coated their boots the instant they stepped through the door. Cat noticed every photo on the wall was cracked. The rest of the photos already fallen down; ruined by the floodwater. Cat searched up the wall to the ceiling. The florescent lights looking like they could detach at any second –

"Cat!" Tess screamed.

But she was too late. Cat could only watch the light fall from the ceiling in her direction. She thought she had raised her hands to protect her head, only to discover her real shield when she heard the noise of impact.

Once recovered from shock, Cat looked up to find herself eye to eye with her savior.

"Apparently, your infamous hospital visitor does exist." Tess beamed. "Though I can't understand why – since he just came out of nowhere and seems to be fine despite Mercury spilling all over him."

* * *

A/N: More romance to come! I promise. But who doesn't love Tess? Especially after her new discovery...


	8. It'll Fall Upon Us All

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 8: It'll Fall Upon Us All_

Cat and Vincent broke apart. She'd hoped Vincent would choose his usual escape routine without speaking a word. When it was clear he was staying, Cat stepped closer to Tess and fought in silence with her to stay leave them alone.

Tess just smiled, "Let me guess. It's your coat jacket right? It has some mercury protection to it."

Vincent directed his attention to Tess. "And if I said it did?"

"Then, uh," For once in life, Tess couldn't find a comeback. Even though she knew he was lying, she still said. "That would explain it."

"Good." Vincent agreed.

Cat turned to him, whispering. "What are you doing?"

"Tess already covered for you. It's fine."

While Cat reacted with disgust, Tess followed their conversation with more and more interest. "That is not your decision to make!" Cat spoke louder; a mixture of fear and anger flowing through her.

"Yes it is!" Tess exclaimed with excitement. "It's his – thing. He can make his own decisions about it."

Cat took a step towards her friend. "Tess. Please. You have no idea what you're doing."

"Then, why don't you tell me?"

"You." Cat's anger hadn't worn off when she addressed Vincent. "You need to go."

"He's not leaving this time." Tess announced.

Vincent shrugged. "Huh, I guess I'm not leaving."

"You think this is funny?" Cat's gaped at him. "Do you ever leave when I ask you?"

"Sometimes."

Examining their interactions, something clicked inside Tess. She pointed at Vincent. "You're complicated guy."

Sighing with exasperation, Cat threw her arms in the air and turned from both of them.

Vincent, meanwhile, moved closer to Tess. "What?"

"You're Cat's complicated guy." Tess turned to Cat. "Right?"

Cat shook her head, more in disapproval and annoyance than in denial and kicked floodwater with her boot.

To Tess, the couple's silence could only mean conformation. "Who are you? How long have you two been together?"

Cat jerked her head to Tess. "We are not together."

"It's been at least a month right?" Tess spoke over her friend. "Since that art galley case when you rejected her."

"I did not reject her." Vincent couldn't help speaking out; blowing whatever cover he hoped to hold onto.

"But I will." Cat's tone and expression finally communicated to Vincent how serious she was. "If you don't leave."

Unable to bare any more, Vincent propelled himself towards Cat. His forehead lowered to hers when he whispered, "Catherine…"

"Catherine again?" Tess interjected. "What are we in, a Victorian romance novel?"

Cat stepped back. Vincent noticed her tear-filled eyes when she looked up at him. Their contact was minuscule, though, for Vincent disappeared before either Cat or Tess could blink.

"I didn't think Batman existed." Tess said, her attention still on the parlor's door. When she turned back to Cat, she noticed the same expression that sent the man away. "Are you crying?"

Cat looked straight at Tess. "No," she stated, somehow draining her tears.

"Okay…" Tess tried to collect herself. "Don't get mad at him. I'm the one who asked him to stay." Cat shook her head and laughed. "And I happen to like Batman, so I won't ask for details unless you offer them."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because, I see how much agony you're in." Tess said softly. After a moment, though, she returned to her normal self. With a smile, she added, "And I know the best way of getting details out of you is not to nag you for them."

Despite everything Cat smiled in gratitude. Once their moment had passed Cat looked at the ceiling. "Florescent lights don't just come loose." She trudged through the water to examine the wall now barren of its photographs. "There's a water trail. Look. It must have flooded from upstairs somehow."

Tess followed the trail up to the ceiling. She located the stairs in the backroom and nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

Once home, Cat forgot all the details from her case. From the moment she threw down her keys and her badge she remembered why she had carried an extra weight with her all day.

"Hi."

Vincent didn't wait for Cat in her room. He didn't call her to announce his presence. No, he just showed up in the middle of her apartment.

Cat laughed him off, throwing her mail down as soon as she picked it up.

"I'm sorry."

Still, Cat said nothing. She longed for something to do or some place she had to go. When she couldn't think of anything, Cat crossed her arms and waited for him to continue.

"I should have left. You asked me to leave and I should have. I needed to leave right after I saved you – just like I normally do."

Cat finally looked at him. He hungered for her acknowledgement, her acceptance. He was surprised to find her usual warm expression still buried with coldness.

"And Tess is your friend. She's your partner. It's not my place to talk to her. I just…" Vincent searched for anything he could say to earn Cat's understanding. "I just knew once she covered for JT that she could be trusted."

"Trusted?" Abhorrence roared through Cat. "You've told me a million times what a burden carrying around this secret is, how much you hate that JT and I do it. Then you bring Tess into it without thinking about it at all."

"I thought about it!"

"Right. Only to the extent she could be trusted."

"Catherine…"

"What? What do you want me to say?"

"I-I just know how much stress you're under all time. I have JT to talk to and I don't want you to feel so much pressure all the time."

"You are insane."

Vincent looked down to Cat's hardwood floor after he realized the truth to her statement. He had no comeback. He couldn't look at her. Vincent searched her living room and hoped Cat would formally invite him in.

Cat followed his focus and knew exactly what he wanted. "Yeah! Sure!" She said, still angry. "Sit! You do whatever you want anyway."

"Cat-"

"I have to change. I need just a few minutes without you following my every move. Can you give me that?"

"Yeah."

"Great." Cat tore herself from his gaze. The only noise in her apartment was the hammering of her heals and the slam of her door.

Once alone, Cat covered her face with her hands. She couldn't make to the bathroom to refresh with water like she planed. Instead, she leaned against her door and waited for her nerves to settle.

Strain on their relationship was the last thing either of them needed. After their moment this morning, fighting was not what she wanted for the next moment they were alone together.

Her abdomen cramped up in pain for the first time today. Annoyance, more than pain, caused Cat to throw her sweater off. Cat walked to her dresser with more carelessness than she should. She grabbed a baggy sweatshirt and pulled it over her without bothering to look for a t-shirt. A pair of sweatpants in her drawer caught her attention and she replaced her jeans and boots without caring what she looked like.

He had, after all, watched over her the whole week she was on bed rest.

Cat's slippers were by her door. Her hand on the doorknob supported her when she slipped into them. She waited before opening the door to him. Cat closed her eyes and wished only for the most serene evening possible.

Vincent tuned himself to her heartbeat. He could tell Cat was more relaxed without looking at her. She was breathtaking when he watched the door open. In her holey Princeton sweatshirt Cat looked cuter than ever.

She didn't give off any more coldness or anger, but Cat didn't look at Vincent walking into her kitchen. She reached for a wine glass, poured herself white wine, and made her way next to Vincent's spot on the couch before acknowledging him.

Cat blushed when she took a sip of wine. She wondered if he would call him out, say anything about drinking while taking pain medicine. She was ready with her retort: it had been exactly twenty-six hours since her last dose.

"I don't want to fight with you," she whispered.

"I know." Vincent leaned further into couch so they were level with each other. "And I am really sorry."

"I know." Cat finally shared a small smile with him. Their gazes locked and Cat felt him reaching out to her in every way he knew how. Including running his fingers up and down her arm. It felt nice. "It's just – I thought we were a team. This morning – with Tess – that was the opposite of being a team."

"Yeah…" Vincent looked down and focused his attention on the couch's fabric.

"If this is ever going to work we need to be a team. Not just when it's convenient but all the time."

"This?" He perked up with hope. "So, we are together?"

Cat smiled and took another sip of wine. She placed her free palm on his cheek. "What are we going to do with you?"

Vincent laughed. "I don't know."

"I don't know either." Cat soon lost her smiled and turned serious. "What I do know is I need to be honest with you without you resorting to extremes. Turning yourself in to Murfield or exposing yourself to Tess can't keep happening. Your actions have as much an effect on me as my words do you." Cat waited for Vincent to respond. Shame and regret filled his face. "And that's scary – for both of us."

Vincent took a deep breath. He had been waiting for the right moment to explain. He spoke softly. "Catherine, the more involved I am in your life, the more desire I have to be involved in more of it. That's why I learned that story for your Dad's wedding. It wasn't just that I wanted to be there with you, which I did, but I wanted to meet the people that are important to you."

"You probably know them better than I do," Cat kept her tone light. "Watching them from roof tops."

"No, I want to know them. I want them to know me. I want them to know how special you are in my life."

Cat just blinked. While a thousand warnings went off in her head, she couldn't give voice to one of them. She felt that force again; the force that kept pulling her to him. Before she could stop herself, Cat leaned in to brush her lips over his.

She pulled away before he could properly respond; before anything else could go wrong. He stared at her with such awe that Cat began to fear the depth of it. "They don't need to know, Vincent. Part of what makes us so special is not sharing it with other people. The only person that needs to know how important you are to me is you."

All Vincent could do was lean in for another brief, but perfect kiss.

* * *

"What are you doing here so late?" Evan was shocked to find JT still in the lab when he walked in. "I thought you left hours ago."

"Yeah, I was going to." JT answered, his attention still devoted to his microscope. "But then I found something that kept me stuck here for the last three hours."

Evan approached JT's microscope. "Something good?"

JT hated the way Evan spoke about their work. It was so distant; so cold that JT wondered if Evan ever realized he was talking about a being and not a machine.

"Your DNA Analyzer highlighted which part of the being's DNA was altered. I took examples of that part of the DNA and compared it to different animal species' DNA you had on file."

"That's incredible." Evan exclaimed. "What's the next step?"

JT sighed. He detached from the microscope and reached for his glasses. "If we understood how the specific parts of each animal's DNA were combined into our being, maybe we could find a way to remove them and rebuild the being's DNA structure."

"Why would we want to do that?" Evan retorted. "That seems like going backwards. Rebuilding normal DNA won't help us at all. Learning how to recreate the creature's DNA…now that would be groundbreaking."

* * *

A/N: Booyah! Being evil is fun. _xoxo._


	9. In Between The Sand And Stone

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 9: In Between The Sand And Stone _

JT never dreaded going into work. Except for a couple aggravating students dispersed through the years, teaching had treated him well. Even after a week working with Evan, JT had little to complain about. Today was different. Today was the first days in years JT felt a desire to sleep in rather then go to work.

"You're late." Evan greeted JT when he walked through the morgue door.

"Yeah. Sorry."

"No, it's not that. You are volunteering your time here. I don't have a right bother you about what time you start. It's just," Evan took off his gloves and walked to JT from the body he was working on. "You're never late. In fact, yesterday was the first night you left early." JT didn't respond. "Everything ok?"

"Yeah." JT brushed off his concern. "Did you find those animal DNA samples I asked for?"

Evan reached behind him and grabbed the folder he created last night. "Most of them. The others won't be hard to find. Animal DNA is public information."

"Right." JT agreed. He tried to ignore Evan's demeaning comment. Scanning over the notes, his mind started obsessing in worry again. JT's exhale caused Evan to turn. Worrying over Evan's plans was the only thing that kept him up last night. Still, he couldn't find a casual way to bring up how their goals were growing apart.

JT did not react to Cat's voice when she entered the morgue with her partner. "Evan, do you have that DNA match yet?"

"The one from the parlor's pipe upstairs? Nope."

"Oh, come on." Tess complained. "It's been hours."

"I've been busy today. It's on my list."

Cat approached Evan. "Well, put it to the top of your list please. It's the first lead we've had."

"Sorry. Can't do that." Evan looked up from his work to see Cat's pleading smile fade. "I don't currently owe you any favors."

A strange feeling came over Cat that made her shudder. She looked deeper into Evan's eyes to see all his friendliness had disappeared. It was only for a second, though. For after she blinked, Evan's warm expression returned. Cat debated how much to dwell on their interaction for a moment longer than she desired before turning to JT.

"So, heard you have been staying here late every night." Cat said with a casual tone, despite JT's budging eyes.

"Except for last night." Evan entered their conversation without permission. "He left really early."

"Huh. Really?" Cat responded despite knowing the reason for his quick departure. "And are you planning to leave early tonight as well?"

JT continued to stare at her. He couldn't help it. His bad acting was why he rebuked her plan in the first place. A smile teased Cat's lips and he hated her for it. Of course, he knew exactly what she was talking about. Vincent had invited Cat over for dinner and he was asked not to come home.

"Yes, actually." JT strained his voice. "I dinner plans with my girlfriend."

"You have a girlfriend?" Evan spoke out, though no one heard him.

Cat spoke over Evan to JT. "Good. Enjoy your plans."

Tess studied JT and Cat's interaction and remembered their dinner discussion. She stored in the back of her mind, much like she would do for one of her cases.

Cat distanced herself from both men in the lab and headed towards the door. "Since Evan has nothing for us, Tess. I say we should go over businesses close to the parlor, see if there is any competition or bad blood."

"Yeah," Tess followed her partner. "We have a lot of things to go over."

* * *

"It smells good in here," Cat commented, walking through the warehouse door. "Which is saying something because it would take a lot to fill this whole place with such a delicious smell."

Vincent looked up from his cooking to find Cat in different clothes than she wore this morning. He wondered if she had changed especially for him. "Hey, you're early."

"Is that okay?" Cat's nervousness for his answer didn't settle when she approached him.

He followed her movement, placing his knife down and wiping his hands before she reached him. Vincent reached his arm out to Cat, placing his hand on her shoulder to bring her closer. "Yeah." He leaned down to give her a quick kiss. Cat smiled, surprised at his initiative. "Better actually. Now the real cooking can begin."

Cat and Vincent held each other's gazes before he released her. A strange new feeling passed through them and gave them pause. Their greeting was a little too idyllic for the first stage in the relationship and the special circumstances they were in.

Cat kept her smile once she stepped back and took the opportunity to tease him. "Am I supposed to supervise you?"

"Of course not." Vincent's smile lit up his face. After a moment in which Cat challenged him with her expression, he added. "Although, I should tell you, the stove and oven are not allowed to be on without JT here."

"Oh, right." Cat played along. "So do we have to wait for him or am I to serve as his replacement?"

"No. Never a replacement." Vincent finished tossing the salad. "An upgrade, maybe." Cat's only response was to smile and shake her head. "So, now that you are here, I am putting the chicken in the oven, and turning my attention to you. How was your day?"

"Well, that depends. How much of my day were you watching me?"

Caught in the act, Vincent's lips parted. "I-I-not much. You spent most of your day inside if you didn't notice."

"Yes. I ran from my desk to the morgue and back again, trying to put my case pieces together." She said, and then added with sarcasm. "It was so much fun."

"Did you run into JT at all?"

"Many times."

"Really?" Vincent's disbelief propelled him to lean forward.

"What?" Cat matched his surprise. "JT hasn't complained about me yet?"

"No…" Vincent crossed his arms. "Why would he do that?"

"Well, as it turns out, I'm not a very nice person."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"I don't know…" Cat tried to shrug off her comment, but Vincent's stare forced her to continue. "There's just something about making an uncomfortable person even more uncomfortable…" Vincent burst out laughing. "No! It's really bad. He has a right to be mad. Something could slip off my tongue and I could blow it for all of us – Why are you still smiling?"

Vincent kept his expression and shrugged. "Because I know you. You don't crack under pressure. Words don't slip off your tongue randomly." Seriousness crept into the warehouse when certain memories resurfaced in both of them, but Vincent wouldn't allow it to stay. "And you know, JT could use someone to mess with his nerves. I can't do it. So, more power to you."

Cat took her turn laughing out loud.

Vincent watched Cat's laugh settle down with awe. He knew his feelings were written on over his face, but he didn't care. He was drawn to her happiness. Who couldn't be? He searched her face; her features pulled him to her. Before he knew it, Vincent took a step closer. He reached out his palm to Cat's cheek.

She blushed. "What?"

"Your happiness should be shared with the world. It shouldn't be hidden here for only me to see."

"But Vincent," Cat whispered. "That's the point…"

Vincent started to close the gap between them and moved his hand from her cheek into her hair. "What's the point?"

Cat could barely hear what he was saying; her thoughts focused on his movements. She barely answered him with an, "I don't know," before he lowered his lips to hers.

Vincent wrapped his arms around the small of Cat's back. Cat responded more slowly, kissing him once, twice, before lifting her arms to his shoulders. Their kiss deepened and Cat began to feel her feet lift off the ground.

"Wait," Her instinct pulled her back. Vincent didn't speak, but returned her to the ground with disappointment. "What are we doing?"

Vincent lowered his forehead to hers. "What does it look like we're doing?" He whispered, trying to catch his breath. He smiled and began to search for Cat's lips again.

Cat pulled back. "No," she whispered. "Wait."

Finally, Vincent open his eyes to look at her and found himself confused by her expression. She wasn't scared or angry, but some part of her was pushing him away. "I'm fine, Catherine. Nothing is going to happen, I promise."

"I know." Cat assured him, even though he could make no such promise. "That's not – I'm not – I'm not talking about you."

Vincent let out the breath he was holding. Slowly, he took a step back from her. Cat took the opportunity to step further back and lean on the table for support. When she noticed the growing sadness behind his expression, Cat found a spot on the floor to stare at.

"Vincent. Us – together – it's a big deal for me. I don't want – I can't - I need to take this slowly. Not for you, but for me." Cat didn't dare look up at him. The heat in her cheeks embarrassed her enough. Besides, she didn't need to; she could predict when his awed expression would appear on his face.

"Catherine…" The longing in his voice pulled her gaze to his despite her attempt to fight it. "Taking it slow is important to me too and I didn't mean-"

"No, I know." Cat stood and stepped closer to him. She surprised him by leaning in again. Her quick kiss was enough for Vincent's confidence to return. Cat placed her hand on his cheek. "I know," she repeated again.

The couple stood together, just breathing. It seemed like time didn't exist between them. Only when the oven's timer went off did they notice the sun disappearing behind the horizon.

To prevent their dinner from burning, Vincent broke their contact and approached the oven. Cat smiled at his naïve hurry; knowing full well that their chicken wouldn't burn within minutes.

What she couldn't predict, however, was how much Vincent's mind was distracted. For, if his thoughts had been focused on the chicken in the oven and not on Cat, he would have remembered the importance of oven mitts.

From the moment Vincent touched the sizzling pan and his body instantly transformed to protect itself, Cat knew it would be a long time before she was invited over to dinner again.

* * *

The morgue was pitch black by the time Tess had finished her work for the day. Cat had just left with an unusually perky grin a few minutes before. Though walking through the basement was Tess' usual route to her car, she knew that's not why she was taking it tonight.

Tess had a feeling JT was lying. Her guess was he had no dinner date. She expected to find him here, working late as usual. She had even worked out what to say; watched how Cat talked to him and hoped she could acquire more information from doing the same.

She paused at the glass door. Since the morgue was empty, her brain told her to move on – to go home, but her feet had a different plan. Tess held her key card to the door and waited for it to click open. She didn't know what she expected to find when she entered, but finding the room in its normal state was not one of them.

Tess leaned back against counter top and sighed. She knew something was here. Some clue, some hint that would put scattered pieces together. Tess could feel it.

The fluorescent light drew her to it. A misplaced plastic card had fell to the floor. Tess reached for the ID and turned it over.

J.T. Forbes

Biochemistry Professor

University I.D. Purposes Only

_"I just woke up three of his students. All confirm he was teaching Molecular Cellular Methods Two that night." _

Images of a blurry warehouse flashed before Tess' eyes.

"_A little Zeck rebound? You can make out in that." _

Her heart started to pound. Before she knew it, she was restarting her computer upstairs, impatiently wondering why police computers, of all things, were so slow.

His address wasn't hard to find. The debate on whether she should put the pieces together alone rather than asking a simple question was the real torture.

Once she had made her decision, it didn't even occur to Tess that she could have made the wrong one until she slowed down infront of the mysterious warehouse and saw its hostile fence separating her from whatever secrets JT was hiding.

* * *

A/N: Well, some _really _loud readers wouldn't stop bugging me until I gave them an update. :P Can I have a break now?


	10. Could You Make It On Your Own?

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 10: Could You Make It On Your Own?_

Tess leaned against her car hood in the dark. She wondered if there was some kind of alert system, an electric device, maybe a telescope focused on the fence to tell JT when he had visitors. Light was trying to come through his covered windows. JT was home. For some reason, Tess' heart continued to pound. She didn't know why, though. She had been here before; there was no reason to worry. She wasn't on a case. She didn't need a warrant. There was nothing wrong with knocking on a door.

That is, if Tess could find a way to reach the door. Pushing herself off her hood, Tess walked to the gate and put her hand on its cold wiring. She could climb it, although there must be another way to enter the property. Tess paced back and forth in front of the fence until a ditch took hold of her foot in the dark and brought her body to the ground. Once covered in dirt, Tess disentangled her foot and saw the bottom of the fence properly.

She had tripped in the right place. The hole in the fence was obvious even in darkness. It was odd, Tess thought when she ran her fingers over the curved fence wiring, that the entrance shape seemed to accommodate her body shape almost perfectly. There was no way JT could slide under the gap. Tess stood once she made it inside the fence. Brushing the dirt off her jeans, she looked back at her entrance. JT might not use that particular entrance, but she had no doubt that someone had – and on a regular basis.

The warehouse's outer door was unlocked. Tess wasn't surprised. It had opened for her the last time she was here without any trouble. The trouble came, Tess vaguely remembered, when she walked through the empty, cement passage to JT's office. If he knew what was good for him, he knew to lock his personal door.

Only when Tess reached his office door and knocked tirelessly to receive no answer, did it ever occur to her that JT might actually have a date and was not home. Her knocking stopped and her gaze fell on the door's large handle bar. Sliding under a forbidding fence and opening an unlocked warehouse door was on one level, forcing a door open into a private office was on different level.

"Vincent!" A loud voice broke through the wall barrier. "It's okay!"

Cat?

Excitement fired through Tess. Wasting no more time contemplating her next move, she grabbed the door's handle and pulled. It was locked.

A violent crash shook a window to Tess' right. She turned at it on instinct. Police protocol kicked in. No longer was she a curious coworker or a caring friend, Tess transformed into her professional persona.

"Cat! Are you okay?" Tess yelled and slammed on the door again. "Open up!"

No response.

Tess pulled on the locked door. "Cat!"

After receiving no answer a second time, Tess felt she had no choice. A strange feeling came over her when she lifted her leg to knock the door down. For the second time that night, Tess wondered if she could be making a mistake. Tess never second-guessed her decisions. Not when police protocol dictated her next move.

Before the kicked-down door hit the ground, alarms filled the warehouse. Tess didn't care. She ran through the office and didn't bother to notice if JT was there or not. She ran up the short staircase and took hold of the locked gate.

Tess meant to open her mouth again to yell for her friend. Her words were lost on her lips when Cat's black hair flew into her field of vision.

There in profile, was Cat and the man with the green jacket. Tess watched Cat place her palms on the man's cheeks. Something was wrong with his face. Misshapen and damaged was the only way Tess could begin to describe it. She tried to examine it closer, but the instance she blinked any abnormalities on his face were gone.

The man's eyes drifted down from Cat's gaze to the floor. Still, Cat held on to him. There was something intimate about their interaction Tess didn't quite understand. Somehow Tess returned from her police persona and now was a friend, eavesdropping on a private moment.

Vincent's eyes lifted. Tess caught his gaze. They only connected for an instant before his face broke out and he transformed again.

Cat dropped her hands, "Wha-" she started then turned to follow Vincent's gaze. Cat looked at Tess long enough to see the empathy and regret on her face. Still, Tess didn't move. "Oh. My. God. Tess." By the time Cat had spoken her friend's name, Vincent's beast had turned his back to both of them. "Okay." Cat approached Vincent with caution. Vincent was much further away from the gate and Tess. When Cat whispered to him, it was much harder for her to hear. "Okay. It'll be okay. Look at me Vincent." Tess watched Cat take hold of the man again. It was several minutes before Cat spoke again, the warehouse alarm still filling the empty air. "You told me Tess could be trusted. I'm going to go talk to her and turn off the alarm. I want you to put ice on your hand. Can you do that?"

Tess saw him nod. She expected Cat to run straight to the alarm and then to her, but Cat stayed with him, whispering something Tess could not hear. Soon enough though, Cat ran from him and he disappeared. The alarm was off in seconds, reducing the stress in all three of them. Silence was eerie. The only noise was Cat's heals walking to the gate.

Cat avoided Tess' gaze when she unlocked the gate. Only when she slid past it and locked it behind her, did she say, "You can't be here." Cat didn't wait for Tess' response to walk ahead of her, expecting her to follow.

Pride and excitement overwhelmed Tess' voice. "He told you I could be trusted. Really?"

"Tess!" Cat turned to her; a raged expression greeted Tess in a degree she had never seen from Cat. "What are you doing here?"

Tess fumbled an answer around in her head. "I-"

They walked through JT's office. When Cat reached the fallen door, she halted. "What happened? Did you kick this in?" Cat waited for a reply. "Tess!" She yelled.

"You were in trouble. I heard a crash."

"Damnit Tess!" Cat bent down to see how difficult it would be to reattach the door. "What, my secrets get to much for you? A guy comes in the mix, it gets intriguing, so you thought you'd investigate me. Follow me around and find out what I was hiding?"

"No!" Tess yelled, sending a echo through the warehouse. "I was looking for JT. He left his ID in the lab and I just thought-"

"JT?" Cat blew off her explanation for an excuse. She put her hands on her thighs and pushed herself up.

"Yeah. JT." Tess took a step closer to Cat. "I've been here before – we've been here before – on a case. Is that how you two met or has this – thing been going on longer than that?

Cat's angered turned to disgust. "Don't say you came here to return his ID Tess, not when you really came here for answers."

"I promise you I did not follow you. I was not expecting to find you here."

Cat reached up and buried her face in her palms. "Oh. My. God."

"I looked up JT's address, Cat. The same way we did when we were on that case."

Cat was in agony. Tess expected her explanations to sooth Cat. It seemed somehow they made it worse. "You need to go," Cat demanded again.

Even though Tess knew it was the wrong moment to push, her words and desires came out. "Wait. Please. He said I could be trusted. He said that and doesn't even know me. I'm your best friend and he's the one who had to remind you of that?"

"Tess." Cat said seriously. "If I didn't trust you, we'd be having a whole different conversation right now."

"Okay." Tess relaxed despite the bone-chilling atmosphere. "So, somehow he change. His facial features can change." Tess could think of no other polite description. When she tried to sort through her head for one, the pieces she tried to piece together in the morgue finally fell together. "Oh. My. God." Tess looked back through the doorway and raised her gaze to the gate. "DNA mutations! Evan and JT are researching HIM?"

Cat's eyes shut. Her whole body was under stress, in pain.

"Tess. I'm serious. You need to stop talking."

"I won't say anything! Of course not! This is so cool. You have your own personal body guard."

"Tess!" Cat yelled sending echoes through the warehouse again. "You don't get it. You have no idea what you just walked into."

With an insinuating smile, Tess replied. "Actually, I'm pretty sure what I just walked into."

Deciding to leave the door for Vincent to fix, Cat moved her feet for the first time in minutes. "Let's go. Since you won't go yourself, I'll just have to accompany you."

"Fine." Tess conceded, knowing she had no other choice once Cat looped her arm through hers. "But I'm only going with the promise of details."

"Sure," Cat promised without thinking about it. She would have said anything to get Tess out of the warehouse. "Details."

"He's in love with you, you know." Tess whispered when they started walking again.

"Tess…" She warned, hoping Vincent wasn't listening.

"Like deeply in love with you. The way you could calm him down after he transformed into that – that -" Tess abruptly stopped. Her mouth and her feet froze at the same time. "Oh. My. God."

"Tess. We need to keep moving. You need to trust me here."

"He's your beast." Tess stated with confidence and awe.

An offended expression appeared on Cat's face. "Excuse me?"

"Don't play dumb now." Tess challenged Cat. "The beast who saved you from your mother's murderer."

Cat smiled as if her friend was crazy. "You mean the one I made up?"

"Cat-"

"Cat!" JT's yell boomed through the empty space. He ran to them at a speed Cat didn't think possible for him. "What the hell is going on?"

Tess just smiled. "You must be Cogsworth."

"Excuse me?" JT replied but didn't look at her. He kept his focus on Cat. "What is she doing here?"

Tess offered her response with sped. "Cat didn't invite me. I came looking for you. You left your I.D. at the lab."

J.T. crossed his arms when he looked at her. "And that's enough reason to come snooping around my place?"

"No…"

Tess was about to speak again, to present an explanation, when a thunderous noise broke through the warehouse. All three of them turned towards the entrance only to have bright lights flashed in their face.

"Catherine Chandler?" A man asked in a deep voice.

They were trapped. Cat turned to the office door and then around the warehouse. There was no way out. Cat reached for her gun only to remember she had taken it out to calm Vincent and hadn't replaced it. Not knowing what else to know, Cat grabbed JT's hand and began to run from the men who just seemed to multiply.

A man appeared in front of her. Two men. Cat released JT to fight her way through them. One kick. A duck. A swing. Two punches. Not enough. It took three men to capture her once they succeeded.

Cat jerked in their arms to notice she was the last one to be caught. JT and Tess were already carried out the door.

The men had broken through the fence. Their car was parked with doors open, waiting for their capturers.

JT's intense terror was the last thing Cat saw. Darkness engulfed her when a blindfold was tied around her eyes.

* * *

Global Warming played interesting tricks on New Yorkers. Yesterday, Evan allowed himself a taxi ride home due to the cold weather. Today, he wouldn't be caught dead in one. There was something about walking around New York streets that soothed him.

He smiled when he threw away his coffee cup and gazed up at the warm winter's sky.

"Evan Marks?" A car pulled up beside him. Evan just had to look at the driver to know he was in trouble. He stepped backward and turned. There was an alleyway right behind him. He lunged for it. Another man stepped from the alley and took hold of him. "We need to have a little chat." Evan heard as he was forced into the vehicle.

* * *

A/N: What is that Vincent said? Oh, yeah - Muirfield tracks everything. Here's to tomorrow night!


	11. If I Could

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 11: If I Could…_

"Cat?" Tess' voice shook her own body. Her fear stressed Cat, who was sitting next to her in the car, even further. Even though she still had a blindfold on, Tess turned in Cat's direction. "What the hell is going on?"

"You need to shut up Tess." Cat whispered. "The less you know the better."

JT leaned closer to Cat. "Not that it'll make much difference now."

"You worry too much!" Cat stressed her voice.

JT matched her tone. "Says the person who has been abducted by them before."

"You've been abducted before?" Tess pushed herself closer to Cat, their shoulder pressed together. JT and Tess squished Cat inward. Soon, she knew, she was going to loose the ability to breath. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you report it?"

"Shut up!" JT demanded Tess at his normal volume.

The car stopped. Its sudden halt forced JT and Tess away from Cat. Air returned to Cat's lungs. The car door slammed open.

"Let's go." A man grabbed them took them from the car one by one. "We have some catching up to do."

If the blindfolded could see, they would see their breaths coming out in puffs; visible in the winter's night air. Their puffs only grew more visible once they brought inside and seated on stools. Footsteps' echoes told Cat what kind of structure they were in: Another abandon warehouse. Men tied their feet together. Cat was grateful Tess had experience handling pressure. From leaving the car to the warehouse, Cat didn't hear a word spoken. She reasoned JT's fear prevented him from saying anything.

"Cat?" Evan's voice interrupted her problem solving. Before she could respond, her blindfold was removed. Cat blinked and discovered she was looking straight at Evan. Her heart sunk. "What are you doing here? What's going on? Are you okay?"

Cat's closed eyes told Evan not to single her out.

"How sweet," one of the suited men started. "There's a little romance between two of our prisoners." He walked and towered over Evan. "Finding your weakness wasn't hard, was it?"

Evan looked up at the man and matched his intense glare. They connected only for a second. Without moving a limb, Evan's eyes searched the room. JT and Tess were tied up across from Cat. A suited man stood next to each captive.

"You guys are ambitious. Abducting two officers and their coworkers. That seems like a fail-safe strategy to me." Evan couldn't help adding sarcasm to his voice.

The man crossed his arms. His tone and posture demanded respect. "You quite ambitious yourself, Mr. Marks. Attempting to recreate cross-species DNA. We found your research in your lab. Impressive. It's too bad we destroyed it after you worked so hard on it."

Evan gaped at the interrogating man, too stunned and devastated to speak. Evan caught JT's attention, hoping JT was as outraged as he felt, and was disappointment to find JT's expression unchanged.

Comebacks rolled on Evan's tongue and he did everything he could to hold them in. Something didn't quite fit together to Evan. His eyes turn to slits upon examining JT again. Evan recalled the impression JT gave him that he held the power. "'Friends in high places?'" Evan threw JT's words back at him. "So were you playing me or were you the one who told them where to find my research?"

"If I was the one who turned you in," JT whispered. "I would hovering over you right now and not tied to a stool."

Evan's menacing tone echoed through the warehouse. "You bastard."

"Enough!" The man ordered quiet. He placed his hands on his hips to address Evan. "Where is he?"

Evan snapped his attention to the interrogating man. Despite acting interested, the man could see through Evan's blank expression. "Who?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Mr. Marks. The man whose DNA you found at two different crime scenes. The man you are researching with JT Forbes." The man in the suit half-turned and pointed at JT. "Where is he?"

Evan's eyes widened. "You're looking for the creature that my cross-species DNA sample belongs to? I'm just as curious as you are. I have been looking for him myself."

The man laughed, sending more chills through the warehouse. "Lying won't get you out of here sooner, Mr. Marks."

"No. I'm serious. If you're looking for the creature, I want to help you in any way I can."

The man laughed again. With his back to Evan, he approached JT. "And would you offer your services as well, Mr. Forbes? Or can you share his location with the group?"

Still trembling, JT managed to meet the man's glare. If he held it any longer than a second, though, he knew he was going to spit in his face.

"Leave him alone!" Cat's scream echoed through the empty room.

The man in the suit turned. Cat sat straighter. "Catherine Chandler. I almost forgot you were here. But then, how could I? You look so much like your mother."

Cat watched the man walk towards her, her revulsion to him growing with every step. "You would know, right?" Cat risked responding. "You were one of the men who killed her that night. I remember your face."

For the first time, anger raged through Evan. He sat up, realizing their abduction had much more to it than he thought.

The suited man crossed his arms. "Where is he?"

Cat refused to look at the man; refused to give him any kind of respect. Suddenly, her gut jolted. Her familiar feeling alerted her on Vincent's presence. On instinct, Cat looked up at the ceiling. There he was, hiding in the rafters of the building.

Relief flooded over her. Feeling a smile coming, Cat returned her attention to the man interrogating her. Abhorrence filled her body when their eyes collided.

"Why would I know anything about your cross-species DNA creature?" Cat's mouth turned sour using their terminology, but she knew she had no choice. "I haven't been researching him."

"Maybe not." The man's sinister smile sickened Cat further. "But you are the one who reported his DNA in a couple months ago and have been protecting him ever since."

Cat couldn't look at the man. She knew daring to connect with Vincent for a second time would only risk exposing him. Yet, when she noticed JT's sweat beads running down his forehead, Cat urged herself to relieve him somehow.

She waited for JT to look at her. Waiting, Cat didn't know whether JT was more determined to fix his sight on the man's jacket and pretend to shoot fireballs at him or to avoid her gaze altogether.

"Okay, the silent treatment. I'd be a fool not to expect that. So, I'll make you a deal." The man started. Cat had heard his speech before the last time she was abducted and knew to ignore it. "You give me Vincent and I'll tell you everything that happened to your mother."

Cat put on a smile for the man. Holding his attention with one eye, Cat looked passed him with the other. Finally JT found her. The knots in Cat's stomach twisted when she risked looking at Vincent in hopes JT would follow her eye line.

Cat was sure he had when he laughed out loud.

The suited man swiveled on JT's laugh. He took large steps and was in his face instantly. "Something funny?"

"It is funny," JT started. The man knew he had lost some advantage when he saw the twinkle in JT's former frighten eyes. "That's your offer? 'Hand over Vincent and I'll tell Cat about her mother's secret life.' If Big Brother knew anything, which you don't, you would know we solved her mother's murder weeks ago."

Tess had kept her promise to keep quiet until now. For when she heard JT's announcement she blurted out, "What?"

Evan too, couldn't suppress his surprise and spoke over Tess. "Excuse me?"

Both exclamations were ignored, however, and the warehouse was silent. Although the man was a professional, Cat could swear he hadn't foreseen this revelation and it had trapped him – at least for a moment.

His weakness didn't last long. The man had recovered as soon as he crossed his arms. "Well. How disappointing." He smiled. "So much for a calm exchange of information. It seems you would rather divulge your knowledge the hard way." The man nodded to the guard on Tess, who instantly pulled her off her stool while another man brought in a tub of ice-cold water.

"Stop!" Evan yelled. "You don't know what you're doing! She's a police officer!"

"Don't tell him anything, Cat." Tess looked at her friend. Cat saw Tess' fear as she watcher her dragged on the floor to the tub.

"No! Wait!" Cat yelled. "Stop!"

Cat's yells pieced through Vincent. He closed his eyes and hoped her cries would be enough to transform. Everyone would be safe, including his true identity, if he could control when he transformed.

"You didn't think we brought along your useless friends for nothing, did you?" The man asked Cat with satisfaction. "Now," He nodded to the guard who pushed Tess' head into the freezing water on command. "Where is Vincent?" The man asked Cat. His square posture looked down at her and demanded an answer.

Tess' fight kept growing more and more violent. Soon, Tess' pain transferred to Cat. She knew she just had to look up at Vincent for him to end both their sufferings. Yet, Cat waited. She gave herself time to weigh the consequences of her decision before begging him to assuage their pain.

Cat's tortured expression was all it took for Vincent to transform. Once his beast came out, Cat turned back to her abductor. She whispered, "He's right above you."

Everyone lifted their gazes to the beast. He flew down from the ceiling. Tess was released. Guns were brought out from nowhere and aimed at Vincent. Cat watched Vincent's beast take out the suited men in the warehouse, starting with their interrogating leader in front of her.

Incomprehensible yells filled the warehouse. Only Cat held her composure. She kept her eyes on Vincent's beast's actions. Throughout her abduction, including Tess' torture, now Cat could allow herself to feel her fear rushing through her body. Every action went by in slow motion to Cat. She permitted herself an exhale after the last man was taken down.

Vincent's beast was at Cat's side the second the last man had fallen. Cat could feel his adrenaline between them when he walked behind her in attempt to untie her. His attempt soon failed and frustration fueled Vincent's beast to cry out.

"Shhh! It's okay." Evan heard Cat's calming of the creature incredulously. "Come here. Look at me."

Vincent knew he couldn't look at her. The second he did, his true self would be revealed to Evan.

He tried again to untie Cat with success. He wondered if somehow Cat's voice could calm him just enough to settle his nerves.

Once free, Cat reached for him. However, only when he backed away from her touch did she understand he had no desire to transform back.

"Hey Dumb and Dumber!" JT yelled across the room. "She's not the only one tied up here, you know."

Cat held Vincent's beast's gaze. She placed her hand on his arm and then demanded, "Go!"

In a blink, the beast disappeared.

"Cat?" Evan spoke out from his stool. "Care to enlighten me on what just happened?"

There was an unspoken agreement between the enlighten ones in the room to ignore Evan for as long as they could. Cat kneeled to the floor to untie Tess, not allowing herself time to soothe her friend. Cat ran to help JT without looking back at Tess.

"I told you not to worry so much," Cat whispered to JT when she untied him. "It's okay."

JT turned back to her, "You call five dead guys, Evan and Tess not having to worry so much. Really?"

Cat turned to Evan, who Tess had just untied, to see him examining the distance from the ceiling to the floor. He soon turned to study the cause of death of the man at his feet.

Tess ran to Cat and folded her into an embrace. While she leaned on her friend's shoulder, all Cat could do was watch the blood of five men diffuse on the floor.

* * *

A/N: A week went by without an update! Aren't you appalled? :)


	12. Then I Would

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 12: Then I Would…_

Cat's hands rattled as she poured the hot chocolate in a mug for Tess. She knew her rattling hands had more to do with her worries about Tess and Evan than any effect from the kidnapping itself. After all, she had been through it before, right? Plus she had no right to complain; she wasn't the one who had just been formally tortured.

Emotions were too much for Cat to handle. Keeping her mind focused on delivering the hot chocolates to Tess on the couch helped Cat quiet her mind. When Cat handed with Tess her warm drink, her expression changed to a combination of guilt and sorrow.

"I'm fine, Cat." Tess whispered. "I promise."

Not expecting Tess to speak with any more honesty, Cat nodded and took a seat next to her on the couch. The hall clock tick filled the silent apartment. Cat buried her legs in the couch and pulled a blanket over her. She examined her friend.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

"I'm really sorry, Tess." Cat blurted through their taciturn moment together. "I should have spoken – I should have done anything - "

"What happened was bigger than me." Tess looked at Cat to convey her seriousness. "I understand that. It was about saving him and about mother's murder." Cat looked down at Tess' mention of her mother. Tess' eyes budged. Her palm went between them, demanding more information. "How you could you not tell me you solved her murder?"

"I couldn't say anything! You know that…after everything they did to you – to us."

"No…" Tess whispered. "It wasn't about them. Your silence has to do with him. You were protecting him tonight. That is what you should have been doing. Besides, he showed up at the right moment anyway."

"Yeah," Cat blushed. "He has a tendency to do that."

Tess nudged Cat and smiled. "Alright, now we're getting somewhere."

"I guess I do owe you details now, don't I?"

"And then some." Tess' face lit up for the first time that night.

Cat focused on her hot chocolate. She watched her spoon weave through the liquid. Where were her lines now? Tess proved herself trustworthy tonight, but did her trust mean she should tell her everything?

"Okay," Cat conceded. "What do you want to know?"

Tess' excitement eclipsed any sign of torture on her face. "Really?"

"Well, you've earned it." Cat shrugged. "And I can't really use the 'You don't know what you're getting into anymore'…So-"

"How long has this been going on? Since we met JT or longer than that?"

"For me, I met him when I went back to the warehouse without you."

"'For you?' What do you mean 'for you?" Cat felt her blush return. She looked down from Tess' gaze and smiled into her mug. "Cat!" Tess leaned closer. "You have to tell me!"

No matter how hard Cat tried, she couldn't control the blush creeping up her neck and into her cheeks. She took a sip of hot chocolate and sighed. Cat turned her attention to Tess only to find her classic incredulous and impatient expression on her face. Finally conceding, Cat admitted, "He has been checking up on me ever since my mom died."

Tess didn't blink before she responded with an, "Oh. My. God." Then turned away to digest the information.

Cat didn't know how to react. Worse, she didn't know what Tess was thinking. Somewhere between waiting for Tess to speak again and memories flooding in around the first couple weeks she and Vincent adjusted to each other her blush faded.

Tess' excitement had the opposite reaction. "This is so cool!"

"Tess…" Cat warned, sure to make the concern in her voice clear. "How can you say that? You were just tortured because of him."

"I know." Reflection changed Tess' composure. Soberness broke through the excitement on her face. She took sipped hot chocolate until it was gone and placed her mug on the table. Tess snuggled deeper into the couch. "And I am concerned for you. His situation poses risks I probably can't begin to imagine." Cat traced her mug's outline, shaking her head "But I don't think you understand how much he is in love with you." Cat snapped her attention back to Tess; signaling that wasn't the point. "And okay, I didn't realize how accurate labeling him 'complicated guy' was, but it's like you're living out your own fairytale and you don't even know it."

"And you still don't understand the seriousness of the situation."

Tess sat up straighter. "No. I do. I wasn't dunked in ice water for nothing. You are underestimating my ability to judge a situation."

"Tess…"

"No. Cat. I watched how you calmed him down not once, but twice. There was a look in both of your eyes, a trust with each other that tells me he would never hurt you. For months now I've seen your mood oscillate from ecstatic to heartbroken. That's what happens when you're in love, Cat. Now if you can't admit it to him or even to me, that's fine. Just don't deny it to my face."

Cat nodded but said nothing. Her gaze still focused on her mug's rim.

"I will say my reaction would have been different if I didn't witness what your interaction with him before they kidnapped us. If you're wondering why I'm not going all 'protective-best-friend' on your ass, then that's why."

"No," Cat broke from the mug's hypnosis to redirect her attention. "Your excitement and exhaustion prevents you from seeing reason now. You will catch up eventually though."

"Are you talking about me or you?" Tess leveled Cat with her eyes. Cat didn't respond. Tess soon decided to hold her gaze until she did.

Cat broke their connection to place her mug on the coffee table. She returned to her position on the couch to find Tess still demanding an answer. Cat shrugged. "Both. I guess."

Tess' response came to her immediately but she sat with Cat's answer, weighing the best way to deliver her line. After a deep breath Tess whispered, "Why can't you allow yourself to be happy Cat?"

"I can!" Cat exclaimed. "I am! He and I are doing just fine. Thank you very much."

"You are burying you heart so deep I can't even reach it."

Cat couldn't hide her burgeoning annoyance in her flippant response. "Well, maybe I'm saving it just for him."

Vincent's footsteps announced his presence. Both women turned in his direction. Cat smiled. Tess' surprise at his sudden appearance was clear on her face. "Saving what for me?" He asked.

Tess' gaze darted between them and she noticed Cat's casual reaction to his presence. "Do you usually walk into people's living rooms uninvited?"

"Huh," A thoughtful look crossed Vincent's face. Then a smiled appeared. "Do you usually walk into people's lofts uninvited?"

A small blush formed behind Tess' cheeks. "Fair enough."

Vincent nodded and took a seat next to Cat on the couch. "Are you okay?" He addressed Tess although it was clear his question was intended more for Cat than for her.

"We are police officers. We are trained for those situations." Tess' confidence rose when she looked Vincent in the eye.

"Right." Vincent added sarcasm to his voice. "That must be why Catherine insisted on taking care of you after dropping Evan off, leaving JT alone with that mess."

"You mean your mess." Cat corrected him. "And JT said it was fine."

"Well, Evan came back after you dropped him off." Vincent announced.

An abhorrent "What?" slid off Cat's tongue.

"Yeah," Vincent confirmed in a sober tone. "We have a problem."

Cat turned her back to Tess to focus on Vincent. "Did he see you?"

"No…" Vincent's information could not come out fast enough for Cat. "And I pulled JT out of sight just in time."

"Then…" Cat urged him on. "What's the problem?"

Empathy entered Vincent's voice and he whispered when he spoke, "Cat, Evan completely lost it."

Tess smiled. "What do you mean?" She asked with incredulity.

"I mean he tore that place apart searching for evidence." Vincent answered Tess at his normal volume. "When he didn't find any, he pulled out a gun and called for me to come out. When I didn't he pointed it at himself. He didn't shoot, but he went crazy."

Vincent's claim propelled Cat to her feet. "Crazy? Evan is not crazy. He would never do that. Plus doesn't have a gun."

"Well he got one somehow." Vincent stood after Cat.

Cat managed to stand still as she searched her apartment for her keys. "Is he still there?"

"I think so."

"I have to go find him," Cat told him when she spotted her keys on the counter. Before she could take a step, Vincent blocked her path.

"I had a feeling you'd say that."

"Vincent, what were you expecting?" Cat's hall clock's tick made her more impatient. "That you'd tell me my friend was in trouble and I wouldn't go after him?"

"No, I know you better than that."

"Good." Cat tried to move forward but Vincent stepped in front of her again. "Then why are you stopping me?"

"Because." Tess spoke out from the couch. "The person Evan is angry at is you. He just lost his entire research project. Something he set all his hopes on. Learning you chose to work with JT and not with him is going to kill him."

"Which is exactly why I need to go." Cat refuted. She turned to Vincent. "You'll be there the whole time. I don't understand the problem."

"We are going to go help Evan," Vincent assured her. "But you're not coming to help Evan, you coming to help me."

Cat's blank expression enforced her words. "I don't understand."

Tess eyes popped when she connected the dots. Her excitement from earlier reappeared. She pointed at Vincent. "You are going save Evan! You're the only one he can see without going crazy."

"No! Vincent…" Cat protested. "I already know how much you regretted going into those tunnels."

"I only regretted it because I didn't have control. I have control now. Preventing Evan from losing his mind is for your benefit, not for mine. So, now that we're clear," Vincent went to retrieve Cat's keys. "Will you lead the way?"

Cat grudgingly took her keys from Vincent. Tess followed Cat out the door, leaving Vincent to shut the door behind them. Walking down the hall, Tess grabbed Cat and whispered in her ear, "'It's for your benefit, not for mine.' Yeah, a guy who's willing to risk everything not just for you, but for the sanity of your friends, doesn't spell love to me at all."

"Thank you, Tess!" Cat's loud response attempted to shut her friend up.

"Just call me Lumiere." Tess corrected Cat as they made their way down the stairs.

* * *

A/N: Forget you guys being appalled at my late update - I'm more so, I promise. I had a really busy couple of days :0! The next chapter is halfway done. It shouldn't be too long a wait. _Thanks so much for waiting. xoxo._


	13. I'll Go

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 13: I'll Go_

"I still don't like the plan," Cat announced after she put her car in park. She looked at the repulsive warehouse and shivers went down her spin.

Vincent turned to Cat from the passenger seat. His concern was clear in his expression and he whispered. "I wasn't expecting you to."

"I think it's a great plan." Tess chimed in from the back.

Cat gave her a sad smile. "Say that after a million things go wrong."

"Cat, it's not rocket science." Tess unbuckled her seatbelt.

Vincent and Cat followed her actions. She shot Tess a warning glace before pushing her door open. While Vincent walked from the car's other side, Cat pulled Tess closer to her to whisper, "It might as well be," and then released her.

Tess rolled her eyes at Cat. Vincent came around the car and held Cat's gaze to communicate in silence. With confidences booted, Vincent put his arm around Cat and led her in the warehouse's direction. His touch was brief. Just long enough to give Cat a reassuring squeeze. Tess watched their interaction and smiled to herself.

They stopped before the light from the warehouse touched them. Again, Tess witnessed the deep looks between Cat and Vincent that made her feel like she didn't exist.

Cat turned from Vincent to the light. In an instant she spotted Evan; pacing with his gun, pointing it around the warehouse and then at himself. "Telling you to be careful wouldn't help much, would it?"

Vincent reached out to Cat's shoulder. "Not really."

Cat returned her attention to Vincent. When their eyes locked, they drifted closer to each other with the sudden urge for a good luck kiss. Light illuminated their noses' contact and they pulled away; both blushing in front of Tess, wondering what instinct came over them to ignore their usual level-headed thinking.

Evan's back was towards the door when Vincent walked towards him. The direction of Evan's gun kept Vincent's focus. Evan pointed it at the ceiling then at the wall. Vincent knew he had seconds to make his move. He lunged for Evan's gun. Vincent's movements alerted Evan to his presence and he turned at the sound. He could barely registered Vincent's presence before he shot at him. His shot transformed Vincent into his beast. Evan's eyes widen at the sight before him. Vincent's beast decided not to move. Time slowed when they looked at each other.

"How did you -? You were just-"

Evan's questions caused time to catch up with them. Before he knew it, Vincent's beast grabbed his gun and trapped Evan in the crook of his arm. Adrenaline pumped through Evan. The creature was here; holding him, trapping him. His excitement at realizing the moment he had been waiting for was here suppressed his fear within him. He wished he could change positions. The one-second they had, starring into each other's eyes told Evan much more than he ever thought a look could tell.

Evan tried to turn, tried to reestablish their connection. His attempt soon failed. Vincent's beast realized his prisoner's motives and held on tighter. Only then did Evan's excitement drain and his fear took its place.

"What do you want?" Evan asked with caution. "Can you speak?"

Vincent's beast had started to calm down. Enough of his features returned so that he could speak if he wanted. A response formed in Vincent's head to Evan question. He knew exactly what he wanted. His lips parted to speak but soon closed. Speaking wouldn't help their situation. He did his job. He had revealed himself enough to Evan to prove he wasn't crazy. He threatened Evan enough for him to know seeking his beast out any further would only end in his demise. He had taken his gun. Evan was no longer a threat to himself or to others. Vincent had saved him in more ways than one. He had finished what he came here to do.

Evan felt the creature release him. Fear no longer tensed his body. He took the last chance he had to watch Vincent's arm transform back; his skin turning from grey to light brown and his fingers turning from claws to nails. Evan knew when he turned around the creature would be gone. He stood with his back to Vincent and waited.

Vincent took a step closer to Evan. He lowered his chin to Evan's shoulder, hovering over it without touching it and turned to his ear. Even though Vincent's voice went straight into Evan's ear, it was almost inaudible. "I'm glad we've reached an understanding."

Everything else between them, including Evan glace at his relationship with Cat, was unspoken. Evan turned back when Vincent finished speaking. The creature had disappeared. Evan wasn't surprised. In fact, he wasn't expecting anything less. He covered his face with hands, attempting to regain his composure.

He had lost everything. Ever since his near death experience in the tunnels, understanding what happened and how it happened fueled everything he did. Now he couldn't move. He was stuck here without anything. Part of him thought the longer he stayed here, the more likely it was for the creature to return. His instincts knew better.

"Evan?" He lifted his head and saw Cat at the warehouse's entrance. Her voice was quiet and sweet. "Are you okay?"

"Cat?" A wave of relief flooded over him. The wave erased all his hopelessness and replaced it with memories of their years of friendship together. Evan wrapped his arms around her before he register her approach to him, "You came back for me."

Cat pulled back from their embrace and looked in his eyes. "Of course I did." Cat forced herself to smile. "I will always come back for you."

Evan thought his heart had pounded enough for one night, but Cat's words had more physical effect on his body than any encounter with a terrifying creature or any devastating loss of a month's worth of a research could have. His urge to kiss her, which he usually had no problem suppressing, took over him. Evan closed his eyes and leaned into her.

"Evan," Cat whispered after she pulled back. He tried to lean in again, but she brought her hand to his cheek instead, a sad expression overwhelming her face. "JT told me you were here." Her thumb traced the contours of his face. "What were you thinking?"

"JT told you I was here?"

"Yeah. He came back to dust for the men's prints." Cat felt her pulse quicken when she lied. "We're really worried about you."

Her words destroyed the moment. Disgusted, Evan tore from Cat. "We?" His yell echoed through the warehouse. "Since when has there been a 'we'"?

Cat hung on to her composure. Tears threaten to form when she felt their friendship breaking. "It doesn't matter," Cat tried.

Evan took a step closer to Cat and brought his hands to his chest. "It matters to me!" Her eyes widened at his volume. He waited for her response. After a moment of starring at him, Cat nodded and looked down at her shoes. "Ever since what happened in the tunnels you have been lying to me, haven't you? Every time I brought it up you dodged me away from it. You knew exactly what happened, didn't you?"

"What happened was I saved your life."

"No…" Some voices keep the peace when they turn to whispers. There are others that add danger to a situation. Evan's changed volume took on the latter. "You have been putting yourself in danger – risking your life and mine for that creature. What were you thinking, Cat?"

Cat brought her gaze to his. "I could ask you the same question; coming here by yourself, hoping to lure him here."

Evan still whispered. "I came back to protect you."

"You came back for you, Evan." Though Cat's words sounded harsh, she made sure they weren't. "If you really cared about me and not your research, you would have left it alone like I asked."

"Why? So you and JT could work together behind my back?"

Cat sighed. "It wasn't behind your back, Evan." Cat said, though she wondered if it was. "Solving my mother's murder had nothing to do with you."

"Yes, it did!" Evan exclaimed. Cat closed her eyes again; Evan's descent into paranoia was harder and harder to watch. "You knew I wanted to help you solve her case – to give you closure. You knew I would have done anything for you." Evan reached for Cat. He started stroking her cheek with force. "I wanted to be that guy for you, Cat. The guy who helped you move past your trauma and heartache. But you choose somebody else."

Cat started to fight against him. She was careful, though, for as much as she needed to protect herself, she felt a need to protect Evan too. "Evan," Cat cried out. "Please…Please understand."

"Understand?" Evan asked with abhorrence. "You took away my chance at closure of what happened to me in the tunnels in order to protect JT and your secret." He declared and then added with sarcasm, "How could I not understand?"

Losing her will to fight, and hoping Evan would not escalate his behavior, Cat succumbed to tears again. "Please…Evan…It's okay."

Rage rushed through Evan when he realized Cat's intensions. When he looked in her eyes and saw, not fear or anger, but pity, he lost any control he had left.

Before he could do anything to Cat or himself, Tess ran into the warehouse and shot a warning shot into the ceiling.

"Let Cat go, Evan." Tess demanded. "And walk away."

"You're in on this too?" Evan addressed Tess. "I thought the creature or JT would be the ones to come and save her."

JT's voice echoed through the warehouse. "I'm right behind you, Evan." Evan turned around to find JT holding a bat in his hands. "If you want to get mad at anyone, get mad at me. I'm the one who played you, not Cat."

Surrounded, Evan released Cat. Other than gasping for a deep breath, Cat refused to move. Part of her yearned to protect Evan, to help him keep whatever sanity he had left.

"How sweet," Evan took a step towards JT. "You're protecting your little girlfriend. I thought that would be my job, but alas – like everything else in my life, I was mistaken."

"You weren't mistaken, Evan." JT walked closer to him and gripped his bat tighter. "We should have to protected more than we did. That's our fault. Not yours."

"What are you saying?" Evan examined JT.

"We want to help you, Evan." JT announced, surprising both Cat and Tess. "You think you've lost everything. You haven't."

"JT." Cat said his name both as a warning and as a question. She tried understand his motives in talking to Evan, but couldn't. "What-"

JT ignored Cat to make sure he didn't lose his connection with Evan. "The research they took. I have a copy of it."

"You -" Evan looked between Cat and JT, his disgusted expression returning. "You played me – you used me to further your own research."

"No," With caution, JT took another step towards Evan. "Using you would be not caring about what happened to you. If we really used you, we would not have come back to save you from yourself. If using you for your lab equipment was all this was, I never would have told you I saved a copy of our research."

With every blink, Evan returned more and more to his normal self. "What was it about then? Why come to me in the first place?"

"To prove there's a difference between us and them." JT finally connected with Cat behind him. She hesitated a smile in approval. "We want to help you, Evan. We want you to help us. But two things need to happen before any help can be offered to anyone."i

"What?" Evan smirked. "Is this like 'I need to accept the conditions before I know them' type of thing?"

"That's exactly what's it's like." Cat took over from JT; walking in front of him so she was face to face with Evan.

Evan smiled widened for a moment. "You guys use me to further your own goals, don't tell me what those goals are, we get abducted together, and then you give me an ultimatum. Really?" Too much lightness was in his voice and when he looked at Cat and saw fear in her eyes, he realized the depth of her seriousness.

Cat crossed her arms. Her face stayed neutral; only her eyes begged for his reply. "It's simple, Evan. Are you with us or against us?"

When faced with a heavy black and white question; a question, which he felt so uneasy about in the first place, Evan realized he couldn't give Cat an answer even if his life depended on it.

* * *

A/N: For those who didn't recieve a PM from me - I had whatever Flu has been floating around :(. Whenever I tried to work on the chapter, I got more of a headache. So, THANKS SO MUCH for waiting and all your positive feedback. It seriously keeps the story going (I consider ended it with a different Chapter 13 :O!) To be fair to everyone, including me, I'm going to ask for my readers to expect weekly updates. Biweekly updates might come - oh - on _extra special occasions. xoxo. _


	14. Wherever You Will Go

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 14: Wherever You Will Go_

The betrayal on Evan's face pulled Cat to him. The longer he held her gaze, the more guilt she felt. Soon her crossed arms dropped. Then her cold expression faded and a sad smile replaced it. When Evan saw the silent apology cross her face, the betrayal in his eyes disappeared.

Somehow, they were the only ones in the warehouse.

"I'm always with you, Cat." Evan whispered. "How could you not know that?"

Cat couldn't help breaking into a smile. Her arms reached out to him before she realized what she was doing. "Thank you," she whispered back to him.

Evan closed his eyes at Cat's touch. With them closed he could absorb the warmth of her fingers on his cold cheek. He leaned into her palm and opened his eyes to look deeply into hers.

The intensity of his stare scared Cat. Without intending to, she withdrew her hands faster than when she reached out for him. Unable to tear herself away from his gaze, she stepped back, away from him. Not able to think, Cat stumbled into JT with her first step backwards. She jumped when she was reminded they weren't alone.

JT offered his arm to keep Cat from falling. "Now your jumpy. Seriously? After everything?"

Cat mumbled, "Sorry," before moving out of his grip. She turned to Tess. "I don't like this place and I haven't had dinner. Can we get out of here now?"

"Hey," Tess removed her hand from her pocket and motioned to Cat. "Coming to rescue Evan was your decision. I think you decide when we leave."

Evan face brightened at Tess' reveal. His intense glare returned when he turned to Cat for her answer.

Instead of trapping her in his eyes like he was hoping, Cat ignored his expression. "He seems rescued to me," she tried to say with indifference, but her relief was evident in her voice.

"Good." JT said. He took a step forward and turned his back on Evan so he could be face to face with Cat. He raised his eyebrows at her. "I can drive you home." He emphasized each word to make it clear to Cat he needed to talk to her in private.

"Oh, right," Evan poked his head around JT. "I guess our abductors disrupted your date."

Even though JT spun around to examine Evan again, JT and Cat spoke out in unison, "What?"

"At work, Cat asked you if you had plans tonight," Evan recalled slowly. "And you said you had a date." Tess raised her eyebrows, amused. She stepped forward to watch the gap between Cat's front and JT's back widen. "You were talking in code right?"

"Yes." Cat confessed. Though Evan was wrong in his assumption, Cat was glad she didn't have to lie directly. She shrugged her shoulders and forced herself to smile. "We were. Sorry."

Evan couldn't hide his hurt in his voice. "You did have to hide it from me, Cat. I could have handled it. Though it's clear he doesn't care for you as much as I do."

"And on that note," JT stressed his voice. "We really should be going."

Cat smiled at JT in gratitude. She tugged on Tess' elbow and the two of them started in the exit's direction with JT following in tow.

"Wait." Evan called after them. "What about our research? What about staying on top of these guys – whoever they are? I agreed to your ambiguous terms, so-"

JT turned back to him. "I wiped the warehouse for prints before you came back. We can start identifying the men together tomorrow."

"Why don't you give them to me?" Evan pleaded. "I can match the prints tonight."

Cat and Tess approached JT from opposite sides. The three of them had an instant to communicate.

"Tomorrow, Evan." JT assured him.

Tess walked closer to Evan. "Let them return to their night. Come on," Tess jerked her head towards the exit. "I'll take you home."

"Why would you do that?" Evan walked towards Tess and met her halfway.

"So, we can gossip and complain about these two." Tess smiled. "You in?"

"Gossiping is bad." Evan replied.

Tess looped her arm through his and led him outside. "The worst," she said and then looked back at Cat.

Cat raised her palm and mouthed a, "Thank you," before their figures disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

"I'm just saying," JT whispered to Cat as he unlocked the warehouse door that Vincent had already fixed. "We can't add two more people to our situation."

"One person." Cat corrected him. "Tess is one person. Evan isn't in our situation – nor does he know about it."

"He knows enough." JT's voice echoed through the warehouse's first story despite his whisper. "Besides, I don't even know if it's safe for the three of us to be here anymore."

"Fine." Cat conceded. She reached for JT's office door handle and pulled it open. "Should you guys leave for your mysterious safe haven tonight, then?"

"I don't know." JT ran his hands over his face, distressed. "That would mean permanently leaving our lives for good, and I don't know if it's-"

"It's not worth it, JT." Vincent opened the gate above the stairs and started to walk down. "I killed all those guys. They aren't going to find us."

Cat greeted Vincent with a smile and he approached her. Cat brushed against Vincent, their arms teasing their fingers to intertwine. "That doesn't mean Murfield didn't keep your address on file."

Vincent put his hand over hers. Their eyes connected instantly. "If Murfield really had our address, and not those guys guessing, they would be here right now, tearing this place apart."

"Are you sure?" Cat whispered. After holding Vincent's gaze for a long time and realizing he wasn't, she turned to JT.

He shrugged in reply. "I guess if I was truly worried about coming back here, I wouldn't have."

Cat smiled in relief. "Really?"

"Don't expect me to be happy about it, Cat." JT's serious tone grabbed her attention. "And don't give me grief when my paranoid self returns."

"I would never." Cat acted hurt; parting her lips slightly and bringing her hand to her chest. Her expression lasted a second, though, and her smile soon reappeared. "Your paranoid self is part of your charm."

"Go." JT slammed some files on his desk and pointed upstairs. "Just go. Far away."

Vincent took Cat's hand and led her up the stairs. Before he opened the gate, he turned back to JT. "Thank you for everything you did tonight, JT."

JT stopped sorting through files and looked up at Vincent. Somberness fell in the room. He opened his mouth to speak but soon closed it. Instead he nodded at Vincent and waited for the moment when he could have a minute to recover from everything that had passed in the last hours.

Cat pulled on Vincent's hand. Her pressure redirected his attention from JT. Without speaking, the couple passed through the entryway and made their way to the kitchen.

Still holding his hand, Cat sat at the table and whispered. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Vincent squeezed her hand. "You good?"

"I'm starving, actually."

"Right." Vincent released Cat and motioned towards the fridge. "Since I burned the chicken, I don't know what else we have. I'm sure I can find something though."

"About a sandwich?" Cat suggested. "No cooking required and it's comfort food."

Vincent examined Cat. "So you're not okay?"

"No, I-" Cat fumbled through her words. "That's not what I meant." Frustrated, she ran her fingers through her hair. "I mean, who doesn't like sandwiches? They're great." Cat stood to open the fridge. "I want a sandwich. Do you want a sandwich?"

"Catherine…" Vincent warned, but Cat decided to ignore him. It was easy when she had her back to him. "Talk to me." He asked. Still, she didn't speak. Her goal became more and more difficult with each ingredient she put on the table. Soon, everything Cat needed was out of the fridge and she had nothing to keep her from sitting down to Vincent's unyielding stare.

Cat conceded to his pressure to speak, but refused to look at him. She picked up the knife to start spreading mustard. The motion kept her focus away from him and in this instance she was grateful. "I'm fine, Vincent. I didn't get hurt. You're here. We're still safe. Everything's fine."

"Everything's not fine. You didn't get hurt, but your friend did."

Slamming the spreading knife back on the table, Cat looked up at him. Vincent did not expect to see her particular mixture of pain and annoyance. Her voice, too, was colder than he had heard before; fraught with stiffness. "What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know." Vincent responded, still taken aback by her reaction. "I just want you to talk to me instead of keeping it all bottle up inside."

Some of Cat's distance melted at his words, but not much. "I don't know what to say. Obviously, I'm not happy with anything that happened tonight. What's the point in telling you that? You already know."

"Aren't you relieved Evan's okay?"

"Are you looking for a thank you?"

Cat's bluntness sent Vincent physically back against his chair. "No. Not at all." He hoped his whisper might reduce the tension between them. Giving her some space, both with his body and his words, is what he realized she was asking for since she returned to the table.

A deep breath brought Cat back to her normal self. She picked up the knife again. Before she could start spreading, however, guilt rushed over her. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Vincent took her words as an opportunity to lean towards her. "I know you are. It's okay. It's a lot, I know."

"I just-" Cat's emotions finally appeared on her previously stoned face. "I just don't want either of them involved with this. It's not about keeping secrets or you…I would have no problem opening up to them if it wasn't such a risk. Why can't he understand that?"

"Because…" Vincent looked deeply into Cat's eyes before finishing his sentence. "He loves you. He will always want to protect you. He can't protect you if you're not honest with him. I can't blame him for that."

"No?"

Vincent froze. "Of course not. I think I'd go twice as crazy if you lied to me about something important and I'm deeply in love with you - " His words slide out before he thought about them. Only when he looked at Cat and saw her expression could he stop speaking.

In all the time he'd known her, tears had never run down her cheeks in response to something he had said.

* * *

Vincent.

Vanessa Chandler.

Big Brother.

Cross-Species DNA.

Looking down his list, Evan twiddled his pen. The dots connected somehow, he knew. The more times he read through his list, the more his confidence grew. He didn't need JT's help to connect the dots. If JT was going to take the night off, Evan made sure he used his time wisely. Not that it was a race. It wasn't. Everything he did – he did for Cat.

She didn't think she needed him.

But she did.

The way Cat reached out to the creature disgusted him the most. She was a naïve little girl. Asking her to grow up would only make things worse. He would have to grow up for her.

"_I'm glad we reached an understanding." _

An understanding? What understanding?

Evan's gut knew what the words referred to, but his mind refused to comprehend them. Instead of taking the time to digest the meaning, he chose to ignore the warning.

Once his decision was made Evan pulled out the business card he had found while feeling around the back seat pocket in the SUV on the way to the warehouse. He place under the words in his list and smiled.

MURFIELD.

* * *

A/N: Oh, Evan. What are we going to do with you?


	15. Way Up High

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 15: Way Up High_

Vincent and tears did not go well together. He knew that. With every other person that had cried in front of him his gut begged him to run away. Cat's tears triggered an opposite reaction in him. There was a grace to her crying; one he had only seen in movies. Her tears were silent. One tear fell before another one could start. He felt an urge to hold on to her, to reach out and embrace her, to kiss her.

But he couldn't.

Vincent had imagined saying those words to Cat a thousand times. His mind liked to create different situations where he could say them; the next one always more perfect than the last. Saying them now? At the table, over sandwiches, recovering from a kidnapping while talking about Evan – didn't come close to any scene his mind dwelled upon.

The last tear fell down Cat's cheek and a smile appeared. Some relief entered Vincent's veins but not enough. If there was one part of their relationship he wanted to do right, it was saying those words. Nothing was more important or more true.

"Nobody's ever said that to me before." Cat told him and then blinked. "Well," she began to correct herself. "Not in the way you just did."

Her words unfroze Vincent. His hand reached for her cheek and he gave himself permission to lean closer. Cat closed her eyes and moved into his touch. Vincent watched her across the table with awe. Even though their moment did not go the way he had always imagined, there was something still perfect about it, something –

"You're the love of my life, Vincent." Cat whispered with her eyes still closed, interrupting his thoughts. They opened with a new expression. One he had never seen before and it met his eyes with the new ability to peer into his soul. "I never imagined I'd be this in love with anyone – ever."

Vincent could not process nor find a response to her immense declaration. Before he knew it, Cat grabbed his face and pulled him to her, closing whatever distance was left between them. Their kiss started off soft and slow. They both wanted to take their time. One kiss was shared and then they parted; switching sides as their noses touched.

Their next kiss deepen and Vincent hungered for more. His hands slid from her cheeks down her shoulder blades to the small of her back. Cat moaned when Vincent pulled her to him, setting her down on his lap. Her hands found a comfortable place around his shoulders while his searched up and down her back, memorizing its curve.

The longer they embraced, the deeper their kisses became. Cat soon needed to catch her breath. She broke contact with him. Vincent's only response was to kiss her somewhere else; her shoulder, her neck, her cheek. Overwhelmed, Cat held him closer, running her fingers through his hair.

Her caresses made Vincent stop to look at her. Their foreheads met. Vincent ran his finger across her cheek and found a stray hair. He tucked it behind her ear. Still, they stared at each other. Cat's hands rested on his shoulders while his cupped her face.

"I don't deserve you," Vincent confessed. The unconscious thought, which he was now aware he had been holding onto for months, came out before he could stop it; before he realized what it meant. It was true. He didn't deserve her. Catherine deserved so much better than him.

Cat ignored him. She closed her eyes, and after a few moments' pause, she spoke, "I love you." Her voice was barely a whisper and Vincent wondered if he imagined her speaking out again. "And I always will. But," her last word snapped their eyes together. "I have to go."

He knew that. Again his unconscious suppressed critical information that would have affected his behavior. They couldn't move too fast. He didn't know why; perhaps it was one more fact he buried deep down. Vincent released her. She didn't move. While she sat on his lap, Vincent tried to remember the feel of her touch; knowing full well he would forget it the second she was gone.

"I know," He whispered.

Cat leaned in to kiss him once more. Vincent watched her move towards him with disbelief. His hands found her arms and ran up and down them. Quicker than any of their previous kisses, Vincent barely had time to savor her touch before it was gone.

Standing, Cat wrapped her arms around tightly her shoulders. Her action put more distance between them, but hint of a smile made everything okay before he could worry.

"Can I take you home?" Vincent offered, breathless.

"No," Cat said a little too quickly. Her arms dropped in apology. Her voice lost her sharpness when she spoke again. "I just-" she debated on how much honesty she needed or wanted to share. "It's been an long night. I need time to unwind from everything…Is that okay?" She asked with more nervousness that she thought she had.

"Of course." Vincent stood, preparing to walk her out.

"Thank you." Cat made her way to the gate and turned back. With her eyebrows raised, she asked, "I'll see you in the morning?"

"Yes you will," Vincent answered playfully.

Cat smiled in goodbye. Vincent opened the gate and held it as she made her way down the stairs.

"Night, Cat." JT said with no hint of annoyance or mockery.

"Night, JT," were Cat's words ending Vincent's most romantic evening with her to date.

* * *

Cat had every intension to go straight home and to bed. She needed that. Yet, Cat was not surprised when she parked in front of Evan's building.

Not surprised. A little flustered, maybe.

"Burning the midnight oil?" Cat greeted Evan from the open window of his fire escape.

Evan jumped from his desk and frantically shoved his papers in a drawer. "Cat?" He still hadn't recovered from her appearance and his shock was evident in his voice. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I used to do this all the time, remember?" Cat reminded him with a smile. "When we first met and you were still too shy around me to invite me in."

"You climbed up here once." Evan corrected her. "Maybe twice."

Cat's smile widened, "You said it would be inappropriate to invite such a young lady like myself into your apartment."

Evan finally returned her smile. He pulled a chair next to the window. "Proper, Cat. I would have used the word 'proper.' 'Inappropriate' is much more American."

"Little did I know," Cat playfully slammed her palms on her thighs. "You invited every woman you could up here. I guess 'proper' only applied to me, huh?"

Evan turned serious. His longing gaze, one that Cat hoped she would never see again, was a magnet pulling them together. "Many things only apply to you."

Vincent's words, informing Cat of Evan's love for her, replayed in her head.

A remorseful look engulfed Cat's face. She whispered, "Evan…"

"I am so sorry, Cat." Evan's apology rolled off his tongue.

For a moment Cat allowed herself to be caught in Evan's gaze. When she noticed the depth of his regret, she blinked and looked down. "Me too," she said and hoped it would apply to everything that passed between them in the last several hours.

"Thank you for rescuing me."

"Hey," Cat pointed at herself. "That's my job."

Evan watched Cat with admiration. Her resilience allowed her to smile after the night she had gone through. He had never seen such strength in anyone before. It was that moment he knew he was in love with her.

He smiled, more to himself than to Cat. He wanted nothing more than to stay here forever. Cat was perfect here; casually chatting away with him as if nothing or no one else mattered. He wouldn't dare to change anything about their relationship now. For the same reason it took him so long to invite her in to his apartment, build-up was important. Build up made everything worth it.

Cat's visit entranced Evan to the point where he forgot about his paper and his list completely. All his questions and his accusations for her were gone. All he could think about was Cat. How she came back to rescue him; how she was here now, how pretty she looked, how nice she smelled.

How she was the perfect woman for him; no one would ever understand him like she did.

* * *

Vincent watched Cat at Evan's fire escape and didn't know what to think. Confusion came before betrayal. Anger at himself and at Cat followed. He shouldn't have tracked her every move. Cat was going to kill him.

And she had a right to. There was nothing wrong with visiting a friend in need. Taking care of her friends was part of why Vincent loved her so much. Wasn't it he who said her happiness should be shared with the world?

Still, Evan wasn't the world he was talking about.

Pain entered his chest when he saw Cat playfully pound her hands to her thighs; her hair bouncing in response. Is this why she told him she needed to go? Did she know Evan's apartment was her destination?

Worst of all was the fact that Evan and Cat were sharing a moment on his fire escape.

Fire escapes were supposed to be Vincent's special place with her.

* * *

A/N: Thanks to Guardian Angel for making my chapter shiny and sparking my excitement to write. Thanks to her, Chapter 16 is already done. Huh, I guess it's up to everyone else to convince me to post it early :P.


	16. Or Down Low

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 16: Or Down Low_

"You know," JT entered the warehouse's second story without bothering to change out of his pajamas. "It's not often your pacing wakes me up."

Vincent stopped in response to his friend's complaint. His stillness didn't last long, though, only to say, "I wanted to wake you up last night."

"Well," JT reached for a cereal box and brought it down to the table. "I'm glad you didn't. I don't know what complaining about Catherine can do for you in the middle of the night," he said with indifference.

Vincent's voice rose with each step. "It can help me sleep!"

JT smiled, amused. "What did she do this time? Everything seemed great between you guys when she left." He poured milk into his bowl.

"She left here to go to Evan's! She climbed up his fire escape after midnight and they talked for almost an hour!"

"Ooo!" JT responded with sarcasm. "Did they make out?"

Vincent walked straight to the table. He slammed his palms on its surface and leaned towards JT. "You're not taking me seriously."

"And you're overreacting."

"To what?" Vincent furrowed his eyebrows. "To you or to Catherine?"

JT took a spoonful of cereal. While chewing, he reached for the day old newspaper still on the table.

"JT." Vincent demanded his answer.

"To both of us." JT filled his spoon again and brought it to his lips. Once he finished his bite, he continued, "What were you expecting her to do? Cat obviously cares deeply for Evan. Last night bonded them further together. I'd be surprised if she didn't go over there."

"What?"

JT put down his spoon and inhaled deeply. "What bothers you more, Vincent? The fact that she climbed up his fire escape or the fact that she drove to his place from here?"

His questions took Vincent aback. He felt more anger enter his veins but somehow managed to lower his voice. "Why are you taking her side?"

"It's the same side." JT shook his head. "How many times have you told me you want Catherine to keep her life as normal as possible? How many times have you told her you want her to keep her friendships? Cat was a good friend last night and we're going to need that if we have to continue working with Evan."

Vincent lips parted but his retort fell silent on his tongue. He pulled a chair from under the table to sit in and ran his hands over his face.

"I get it, dude." Empathy finally appeared on JT's face. "I do. I'm sure it's not a good feeling knowing that Cat went from a romantic evening with you to Evan's fire escape."

Vincent's expression stayed unemotional. "I feel a 'but' coming."

"No, 'but'" JT shrugged. "I get it. I think there's not much you can do about it considering you following her there was not such a good idea in the first place."

"Yeah," Vincent tried to smile. "There's your 'but.'"

JT looked up at Vincent. Vincent raised his eyebrows at him. "Sorry," JT offered before taking another bit of cereal.

"So, you are saying," Vincent took his time with his next question, "talking to Catherine about last night would be a bad idea?"

"A 'Duh' here wouldn't help, right? I have to say that's the only response that comes to mind." JT watched Vincent's expression change from concerned to annoyed. "I don't have to tell you that's a bad idea."

Conceding, Vincent sighed and fell into his chair. JT watched the fight leave his friend with appreciation and returned his attention back to his cereal.

* * *

The steps from Catherine's roof to her window seemed to multiply as Vincent walked down them. Maybe it was better he took his time. The space gave him more time to keep his emotions in check.

Vincent turned to peer inside. Cat's window was already open. Windows shouldn't be open in the middle of winter, but it was nice she was expecting him. Vincent crouched down and prepared to enter the room but stopped when Cat walked in from the bathroom.

Cat had her back to the window and faced her mirror to finish doing her hair. Vincent did not have time to appreciate the image before their eyes met in the mirror.

Still facing the mirror, Cat smiled at him. Vincent couldn't help returning her greeting and they stayed frozen, with both their images in the mirror, for longer than necessary. Cat's smile only widen when she turned to Vincent, a bounce in her step as she approached him.

Her lips captured his briefly and Vincent could tell she just had brushed her teeth. "Hey." She pulled back too soon. "Good morning."

Vincent ran his fingers down her arm. "Morning."

"I was expecting you earlier." Cat watched his fingers encircle her wrist and then lock with hers. "I don't have much time to talk. I'm going to be late for work." She waited for Vincent to respond, to tell her it was okay and not to worry about it, but he didn't speak. Cat placed her free hand on his cheek like she had done so many times before. "It's always good to see you though."

"Yeah," a response came to Vincent. His casual tone revealed his suppressed feelings. "You always seem to be on the run."

Even though Cat kept her hand on his cheek, Vincent could feel her pulling away. "Not by choice. Having a job requires me to show up on time. You know I would stay here with you if I could."

"Would you?" Vincent whispered.

Cat didn't know how to decipher Vincent's expression and she answered automatically. "Of course I would..." She froze mid-sentence. Though Vincent he kept his usual caring look on his face, there was something in his eyes that made Cat detach from him. Guilt rushed over her. A blush colored her cheeks. "You followed me home last night." Cat announced, discovering herself more annoyed than she thought she would be. Usually she liked when Vincent followed her around.

Usually embarrassment took Vincent's retort from him at these kinds of announcements. Not today. There was something else pushing the words out of his mouth. "Well, that was my plan. I guess plans don't always go the way we expect."

Cat took a step back and shook her head. She had nothing else to say. "I have to go to work, Vincent."

"Catherine…"

"No…no." Cat eyed her wallet on her dresser. She walked away from him to gather the last of her items for work. With her hand on the doorknob, Cat turned back to Vincent. His regret was clear on his face. Right now, she didn't care. "I don't owe you any explanations for spending time with a friend in need."

Cat didn't look back at him once her words were spoken. Her slam of the door was her parting message.

* * *

"That man is impossible." Cat entered the morgue's doorway. She had checked the room's occupants before barging through, relieved to find JT alone in the basement where no one could see them.

JT dropped his shoulders. "He told you?" His incredulity and disappointment filled his voice.

Cat jumped up to sit onto the countertop next to JT's workplace where he was busy taking notes. "No. He didn't have to tell me. It was all over his face."

"He needed to calm down some more." JT ignored her position. "I knew going over there this morning was a bad idea."

"He had no right to follow me last night." Cat spoke out again in a righteous tone.

JT looked up from his notes and grimaced.

"What?" Cat questioned his expression.

Finally giving up on his work, JT closed his papers and met her gaze. "He follows you everywhere. You should know that by now."

"He can't follow me everywhere. That's impossible." Cat told JT and then looked down at her lap; her legs crossed at her ankles. "So what? I can't visit my friends without it coming between us? If he knew where I was and who I was with before, he never said anything."

JT fiddled with his pen before flinging it down. He turned around to lean on the counter. "He has little in his life, Cat. I don't say that to defend him. I'm the last one to throw him a pity party. True, he shouldn't be following you. If you tell him that he will cite all the times he left you alone and you found yourself in trouble. He has a point." JT made sure Cat's eyes connected with his to convey his meaning. "Losing you would be only thing that would make Vincent lose himself completely."

Cat froze in JT's gaze. His words; their meaning and their responsibility trapped her.

JT watched her response and shrugged it off with a smile. He too looked down to see their matching positions; hands in their laps and legs crossed at their ankles. A memory floated into his mind and he shifted. As he shared the memory with Cat his voice turned softer. "He and I grew up watching the Star Wars movies. When we were younger we used to have marathon sleepovers. We always tried to stay up through Return of The Jedi, but never could." Cat smiled at the picture. JT continued to watch his feet. "We watched the Phantom Menace together and he hated it." JT took a deep breath and then continued. "Attack of the Clones came out a few months after he returned home. My excitement grew as the release date came closer and closer, but I couldn't share it with him. I went to see it opening day. Little did I know, he had followed me to the theatre and my secret was out." JT broke a smile. "He gave me so much crap for that."

Cat laughed with JT. "How can anyone not look forward to a new Star Wars movie?"

JT returned his attention to Cat. "I know, right?" Their smiles faded in unison. "All I'm saying is you're not the only one he busts. While the situation is different I can tell you my anger was on par with yours, if not more so." Cat kept his gaze. Her subtle attention propelled him to speak again. "I know I was hesitant in letting you into our world, but it is nice to have someone to share the burden with."

Cat's warm smile returned at JT's declaration. She uncrossed her ankles. "Back at'cha."

The morgue's door opened. Cat and JT broke their contact and turned to find Evan and Tess staring at them.

"We didn't mean to interrupt." Evan's jealousy imploded; bonding in his morgue was his tradition with Cat.

* * *

A/N: You guys convinced me ;)! Special thanks to Guardian Angel for shinning my chapter.


	17. Maybe I'll Find Out

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 17: Maybe I'll Find Out_

"No. You're not interrupting." Cat jumped down from the counter. "We were just talking about Star Wars."

"Star Wars?" Evan crossed his arms and his gaze bounced between Cat and JT.

Tess raised her eyebrows to Cat. "Really?"

Cat made her way to the door. "Do you have information on our case yet?" Her emphasis warned Tess against teasing her further.

"Yeah…" Tess stepped towards the door. "Come on. I have something for you."

Without acknowledging Evan or JT, Cat followed Tess to the hallway. Tess looked back at her friend for an explanation, but Cat refused and gestured forward towards the stairs. Cat made it halfway up the steps before she heard Tess' snigger fill the corridor. Turning back to her, Cat sighed. "What, Tess? Spill it."

"Star Wars is code for what? What were you actually talking about?"

"Tess…" Cat wasn't sure if her exclamation had to do with annoyance or the drain she felt every time Vincent's secret came up.

"I paid my fee." Tess stated with audacity. She would say anything she could to break Cat's silence. "You don't have secrets from me any-"

Cat raised her palms between them. "Ok! Ok. Fine." She conceded and then brought her fingers to her forehead to sooth her growing headache. "Vincent and I had a little thing this morning and JT was just talking me through it."

Amused, Tess crossed her arms. "A thing?"

"A fight. No, not a fight. A spat."

Tess' entertainment kept growing. "A spat?"

"Yes." Cat said shortly. She met Tess' examination for a moment before looking at the steps below her.

"So," Incredulity colored Tess' tone and expression. "You talk to JT and not to me? What does JT know about relationships? What's the point in me knowing your secrets if you won't share what's going on with you?"

"You're right." Cat whispered and resumed her climb up the stairs. "Sorry."

"Cat," Tess remained in her spot and her call forced Cat to turn. "What did you fight about?"

"Nothing." Cat exhaustion was actually what she wanted to convey. "It's fine."

"Come on, Cat." There was rare warmth in Tess' voice. "With everything you're going through, you need someone to talk to. I know you've been trying to talk to me for months. You've felt like you needed to watch what you said. You don't need to anymore."

"Honestly, Tess? It's something really stupid. He overreacted to something and then I overreacted right back. It's been a long 24 hours and I didn't realize how tired I was."

"So tell him that!" Tess' enthusiasm made the solution seem obvious. "You say 'I was a bitch.' And then he will say, 'No, I was.' Then you guys can kiss and make up and I can have my partner back." Cat avoided looking at Tess. Her hesitancy in agreeing with her solution propelled Tess to speak again. "Are you seriously going to let a little 'spat' as you call it come between you two?"

"No. Of course not." Cat stated with confidence. "That was never the question."

"Ok then." Tess responded, satisfied. "Can you go and make up with him now?"

Cat's expression turned to shock. "What? Now? It's the middle of the workday."

"So? It's not like you haven't left work a million times before to go and see him."

Cat gaped at Tess unconsciously.

"Go!" Tess pointed down the stairs. Cat rolled her eyes before following her instructions. "And don't say JT's advice could ever be better than mine!" Tess called after her.

* * *

It took several minutes for Evan to calm down from seeing JT and Cat together. He knew he couldn't continue to stare at JT's back, so he buried his face in a folder and pretended to go over some notes while JT worked.

"Oh, I almost forgot." JT walked over to Evan, causing him to lower his folder. "I did bring those finger prints for you just like I promised."

JT offered the data out to Evan. When Evan didn't jump at the information, JT became perplexed. Evan looked down at the JT's offering and then to his innocent expression.

Closing his notes, JT shared, "I thought you wanted to research the men who kidnapped us."

"I did." Evan confirmed without any emotion. "I'm not sure if I need to anymore."

"What do you mean?" JT's confusion only deepened at Evan's announcement.

Evan shifted his weight from one leg to the other. After going through his plan to revenge their kidnapping and Cat's mother's death over and over, he still hadn't made a final decision. Worse, Evan knew he should tell JT something about. The problem was he didn't know what to keep to himself and what to share.

"I don't think finding those men's identities will do us much good. And," Evan looked at JT. "I think you believe that as well. If you thought their identities would help, you would have made them a priority last night."

JT lowered his arm and flung his folder on Evan's examination table. He tried to hide whatever emotions he could, knowing he was caught red-handed.

Evan continued, "Once I'm played by a person, I don't tend to trust them again." JT swallowed. Evan's confrontation reminded JT of why he didn't want to work with him in the first place. "But," Evan lowered his tone. "Cat trusts you. Despite whatever wavering feelings you think you have for her, it's clear you trust her as well."

JT crossed his arms. His impatience started to show. "What's your point?"

"The only reason you're still invited into my morgue is because of Cat. Neither of you have given me the explanations you promised you would last night." JT parted his lips to explain, but Evan continued talking. "Without your information, I started to fill in the blanks myself."

Keeping his emotions in check seemed impossible to JT. Other than his eyes bulging, which he couldn't control, JT somehow managed to keep his expression indifferent. "Really?"

"Don't do that." Evan demanded. "Don't pull your big-brother act you tried in the coffee shop. I know you better than that now."

"Evan." JT took a step closer to him. "What do you want?"

"I want to protect Cat." Evan wondered if honesty was the right way to handle their situation. "And it seems like the only way to do that is to trust you. But without you telling me what is going on and how to protect her, you make it difficult."

"If protecting Cat is truly your goal, I would try honesty with both of us. Hiding information from us will only make the situation worse." JT kept a level, detached voice.

Evan took a moment to mull over his thoughts. "How do I know you're not still using me to further your own interests?"

"You don't." JT stated.

Both men froze. Silence filled the morgue. Their gazes challenged each other.

Evan spoke first. "I found our kidnappers' card in their car last night. They were from a company named Muirfield. With their name and the license plate from the car last night, I managed to find one address for them. I don't know if it's more of a set up, but I thought I would find them and offer them my services while actually sharing the information I learn with you."

JT uncrossed his arms. "Why would you do that?"

"I would only join them if you thought it would help protect Cat." Evan paused to allow JT time to process what he was saying. "I understand you don't want to share your secrets with me. So, I thought if I had valuable information for you, you would start to trust me and we could form an unstoppable team."

"I-" JT started, but his swirling thoughts and emotions prevented his brain from finishing his sentence.

Evan spoke out against his instincts. "I mean, from the way you were talking to those men I know you have a history with them. You would probably know if having someone on the inside would help or hurt Cat." He waited for JT's reply. When it didn't come, Evan pressed him again. "So, what do you think? Would coming to the table with two sets of information help Cat?"

JT shifted positions. Evan's offer was tempting for reasons that had nothing to do with Cat. JT thought he knew better than to give into temptation, but after his words slid off his tongue he realized he wasn't as strong as he once thought. "Cat would benefit in multiple ways if we discovered Muirfield's secrets."

* * *

Vincent tried everything he could to distract himself from Catherine's words replaying over and over in his head, but nothing worked. Every time he prepared to leave the warehouse to go see her something stopped him. Given the number of times he motivated himself to leave, he was surprised his heart dropped when he first felt her presence at his fence.

When she left work, Cat didn't expect to find Vincent at home. She had searched the roofs of all the buildings near her precinct before driving to Brooklyn. Making her way into the warehouse, Cat disabled the alarm before climbing to the second story.

She spotted Vincent behind an iron bookshelf. While their eyes met, Cat couldn't see his expression.

"It turns out," Cat stood still while she addressed Vincent. Though they were several feet apart she still felt their closeness. "I don't need to be at work right now. There's no place I'd rather be than here."

Vincent felt her pull on him. He tried to resist their magnetism, but soon his feet moved him towards her.

"I love when you follow me places," Cat started. "When I was a kid I wanted someone to watch over me, to know all my secrets: a guardian angel of sorts, I would say, if I believed in those type of things. But then," Cat's face lit up, "I found out about you. I never assume you're there, Vincent. If I did, I'm sure I would find myself in even more danger than I do already."

Vincent couldn't help smiling, "I'm sure you would."

"And it would all be in order to see you." Cat declared. Her bold declaration took Vincent's response from him. "Vincent, if I knew you were following me, I would stop whatever I was doing just to be with you. I hope you know that."

Far from his previous emotional state when last they saw each other, Vincent now was able to control his words. "I do know that," he shared with her despite remembering how much she was in a hurry to leave him for work. "I also know you can't stop your life for me, Catherine. Every time I ask you to, just for a moment or two, I know how selfish I am."

"You're not selfish, Vincent. You have never asked me to stop my life for you. If anything, you have encouraged me to keep fighting for it." Cat walked towards him and Vincent followed her example. When they met, Vincent reached up to run his fingers over Cat's cheek and through her hair. "That's what you do for me. You make me feel like a better person. You helped me heal my wounds from my past and ignited my dreams for the future. I wouldn't feel special without you in -"

Vincent drew Cat into him then. His lips crashed against hers. The force of Vincent's kisses delayed Cat's response. She gasped before her arms could slide around him. At Cat's touch, Vincent lifted her off her feet. Cat bent her knees the second they were off the ground. Vincent held on to Cat tighter and moaned as he folded her deeper into his arms.

The next moment, however, Vincent had no idea why he felt Cat tear herself from him with force. Wondering what he did wrong was his last thought before his beast completely took over him.

Vincent's beast continued to reach for Cat. She watched his outstretched arms fall around her. In their simple motion, Cat understood the only thing Vincent's beast wanted from her was love.

* * *

A/N: My readers keep convincing me to update early! Thanks Guardian Angel for cleaning up my writing so quickly. _xoxo._


	18. A Way To Make It Back Someday

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 18: A Way To Make It Back Someday_

Muirfield's lobby was enticing to Evan. Whatever doubts he had about entering the building ceased when he peered through a gap in one of its windows. A newspaper had fallen just enough out of its corner for Evan to see inside. There was something about red carpets and marble that attracted him.

His fingers wrapped around the door handle and he clenched it. Half-expecting it to be locked, Evan almost tripped backwards when the door flew open at his touch. The view from the window didn't compare to standing amid the lobby's grandiose architecture.

"Mr. Marks." The female receptionist's high-pitched voice broke Evan's trance. "We've been expecting you."

The questions that ran through Evan's mind at such a statement caused his composure to further disintegrate. He stumbled to take a step towards the receptionist. "You – what?"

Her greeting was superficial. The pearls around her neck and her cream-colored sweater set confirmed Evan's initial judgment of her. The way she ignored his stumble and his awkward response also gave Evan pause. She sat straight up in her office chair and waited for Evan to finish his approach to her desk.

He leaned on desk's edge when he reached her. Evan's actions received an immediate response. Her degrading look focused on his fingers clutching the polished marble and then on his slouchy posture.

He stood up straight. His hands fell to his sides. "Sorry."

A grimace waited for Evan when he looked back at the receptionist. She kept her gaze on him while his danced around the room. He knew better than to speak again.

"If you'll be so patient as to wait in room two," The receptionist pointed down the hallway. "Someone will be with you in just a few moments."

Evan followed her finger to the hall and then did a double take. "I'm sorry. Waiting for me?"

"Yes, Mr. Marks." She held her posture. Any hint of annoyance was withheld in her distant tone. "Room two."

Evan started to step away from the desk and down the hall but his gut held him back. "What do you mean, 'We've been expecting you?'"

The receptionist blinked. Her offence at his question threatened to change her polite expression, but she soon recovered. More authority was added to her voice when she replied, "I meant, they are expecting you in room two."

"Am I late?" Evan pushed further. "How long have they been expecting me?"

For the first time, the receptionist smiled. It was clear she was trying to add warmth to her composure, but her attempt failed and sent shivers down his spine. "You are right on time, Mr. Marks. Your appointment time was set to fit your schedule."

"My schedule?" Evan leaned forward and raised his eyebrows. "How long have you guys been following me?"

The receptionist's farewell was worse than her greeting. Her friendly exterior was slowly drained by her impatience. His questions were ignored once again as she pointed down the hall. "Room two, Mr. Marks."

* * *

JT choked on his beer upon hearing Vincent recall his last interaction with Cat. "It came out of nowhere? That's not a good sign buddy. I have no interest in going back to dealing with your Terminator episodes or blackouts again."

"No, JT. It wasn't like that." Vincent leaned forward in his chair and looked at JT across the table. "We're not going backwards. I can feel it."

"And are you going to say it has nothing to do with Cat again? Because man, I have to say it really sounds like your reaction was caused by her."

Vincent's passion on the subject came out as anger rather than confidence. "It wasn't her fault, JT."

"Okay, again," JT shifted in his seat in hope to avoid escalating Vincent further. "Fault is never the right word to use in these situations."

"Fine." Vincent stated with force. "We still have a problem."

"Clearly." JT held back his smirk. "The other side of you is jealous of your intimate time with Catherine."

"What?" Vincent blurted out in shock. "Jealousy? No. It doesn't work like that." JT pursed his lips and nodded, afraid to speak again. "What?" JT's silence was unacceptable to Vincent. "Speak."

JT leaned back in his chair. Cautiously, he whispered, "Do you know how it works? Really?" He made sure to sound as impartial as possible. "Because last time we checked, your heart actually stopped when the other side takes over you."

"You know it's more complicated than that. How many times have you told me you knew I would never hurt you? Feelings and memories are stored in the brain, not the heart."

Vincent's words sparked the scientist in JT. He sat up straight. "Are they?"

"If I didn't know who you were, you would have been dead a long time ago and you know it." Vincent defended his actions. He waited for JT's reaction and hoped it would be more than a nod. Silence was all Vincent received. "My memories are blurry but I remember who people are and what happens." Heat in his cheeks made Vincent aware that his voice was rising. "I have a conscience-"

"I know!" JT reassured him. It took a minute for both of them to calm down. When he felt it safe, JT spoke again. "Whether you have a conscience or not is not the question, though." He took a deep breath. "The question is whether the other side of you has feelings of its own."

Vincent felt he had no choice but to laugh off JT's comment. "That's ridiculous."

"Okay. Fine." JT conceded. Upon meeting Vincent's gaze and noticing the depth of his sensitivity, JT knew any further discussion on the subject would only cause emotions to increase further. "I think the person you should be talking to is Catherine. She's the only one who shares the experience with you."

Vincent's attention snapped to JT. He leveled his gaze at Vincent. Their connection convinced Vincent that JT was right. Vincent brought his palms to his face, already afraid of Catherine's reaction.

* * *

Secretly, Tess was hoping to run into Vincent when she entered Cat's apartment. It took twenty minutes for her nerves to settle to disappointment. Tess attempted to focus on a magazine while she waited for Cat to finish dressing for the evening. She failed. After every sentence she found herself staring out Cat's window for a reason she could not understand. "Are you sure you want to go out tonight?" Tess yelled to Cat in the bathroom. "I'm perfectly happy staying here and watching a movie."

"Watching a movie?" Cat pulled her top down and over her jeans. She appeared in the doorway. "Since when would you rather stay in than go out?"

"Since I never heard the whole story of your little spat with Vincent today." Tess acted hurt and hoped Cat's guilt would persuade her into telling her the whole story.

Cat felt her body freeze at Tess' insinuation while her mind ran through memories, trying to decide which ones she could reveal and which ones she needed to suppress. Avoidance was her first choice. "Ah," Cat pointed her finger at Tess. "You want to wait here until Vincent shows up."

"No." Tess' hurt was replaced by offence. "No! I just thought a change of pace would be good."

"Tess," Cat lowered her tone to sound more serious. "I can tell you what happened on our way out. We don't have to stay here to talk about him."

"I know-"

Cat jumped at the opportunity to poke fun at Tess. "Admit it! You would rather stay here waiting for a boy than go out and meet one yourself."

"Oh, I have no problem admitting it. You haven't told me enough about him for me not to be curious. It's not fair that you made me swear not to go back to the warehouse. Now, I have no way of getting to know him without you."

"Yeah," Cat nodded. "That's kind of the point."

"Well then that's dangerous." Tess informed Cat. In response to Cat's gapping at her, Tess explained further. "It's one thing if it's not safe for us to get to know each other, it's another when you intentionally prevent us from doing so."

"It's not-"

"He's in your life and I want to know him. I think I have a right to after everything." Cat opened her mouth to defend herself, but Tess ignored her and continued. "I am protecting him now just like you are, Cat. I have a right to know why I am taking that risk."

"You're doing it for me," Cat argued back softly. "Isn't that enough?"

Tess stood from the bed. She approached Cat, preparing a rebuttal, but a noise at the window distracted her. Tess forgot her anger when she saw Vincent through the glass. "So, he comes down the fire escape. Convenient."

Cat ignored Tess and exhaled when her gaze found Vincent's. Halfway to the window, Cat forgot about Tess' presence. Vincent captured her attention in every way possible.

"Hey," Cat greeted him before the window was fully open.

Despite his nervousness, Vincent smiled at her. "Hey."

Tess popped her head around Cat's body. "Perfect timing, Vincent. We were just talking about you."

Cat whacked her windowsill in frustration while Vincent looked around her to find Tess further in the room.

"You were?" Vincent asked with genuine interest. He stepped down from the window into Cat's room. "You guys seem to be doing that a lot lately."

"Yeah, well, Cat has a lot to catch me up on." Tess stopped briefly to look at Cat who rolled her eyes. "But she is hard to crack. Since you're here, perhaps you can speak for yourself."

"Oh?" Vincent looked from Tess to Cat. "Afraid of opening up?" He half-teased Cat.

Cat knew she was close to losing her control of the situation. She crossed her arms. "Like Tess said," she lied, "I just didn't want to speak for you."

"Cat-" Tess took a step closer to her friend.

The longer Vincent was in Cat's room, the more he was aware of the growing tension between the two women. In attempt to diffuse it, he offered, "I'll tell you what, Tess, why don't we have dinner some night this week. I'll trade you an interview for taking Cat away from whatever plans you had tonight."

"Guys-" Cat placed her arm out and tried to step between them, but Vincent and Tess ignored her.

"Deal." Tess nodded. She starred at Vincent for a moment to measure his sincerity before turning to grab her coat from Cat's bed. "Don't have too much fun you two," she teased on her way out the door.

Cat re-crossed her arms and watched Tess leave. She waited until she heard the front door click to turn back to Vincent. "What just happened?"

"I need to talk to you." He announced.

His somber appearance once again had the power to remove all other thoughts from Cat's mind. Only when she looked deep into his eyes did she realize what Vincent was talking about. Cat tried to resist the memories from coming to the forefront of her mind, but they flooded over her anyway. A blush heated her cheeks when she finally allowed herself to feel the shame at the memory she had been blocking out all day; running out of his loft without a word after calming him down was a decision she was always going to regret.

Especially when she noticed how much Vincent's vulnerability deepened as he waited for her reply.

* * *

A/N: Thank you guys for your amazing feedback! Guardian Angel is great editor to have. _xoxo._


	19. To Watch You, To Guide You

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 19: To Watch You, To Guide You_

"I – I um-" Cat tried to ease Vincent's insecurity without much success. The more time that passed between them the harder it was for her to find something to say. When words finally came to her, she quieted to a whisper. "Leaving today – One of my biggest regrets and I'm so-"

"I'm glad you left," Vincent announced over her. "You should have."

"No," Cat's shoulders retreated. "Of course not. I wanted to stay, I just-" her shoulders then dropped in disappointment. "Couldn't."

Vincent reached out to her, "I know," he whispered.

Cat focused on his hand running up and down her arm. It was nice. She took a step closer to Vincent who was still in the window and his other arm fell around her. The moment Cat felt both his hands encompass her, the memory of Vincent's beast reaching out in the same motion flashed before her. She flinched.

Vincent withdrew his arms instantly. "Sorry."

Frustrated, Cat brought her palms to his face. Her words were failing her tonight. Instead of dismissing his apology, Cat leaned in for a kiss.

Vincent pulled away before he could feel her breath. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to move forward," Cat sighed.

"No." Vincent stated boldly. "You are avoiding the subject."

Cat released his cheeks. Her hands fell and hit her thighs with force. She avoided eye contact with him as he moved deeper into her room from the window to shut the door.

"Actually," Cat turned around. "Kissing you is addressing the subject directly."

"Catherine." Vincent crossed his arms with disapproval.

"What?" Cat stepped closer to him. "What do you want me to say?"

Vincent closed his eyes for a moment. The pain in her voice echoed through his body. Cat turned her attention to the floor and hoped their moment apart would give them a second try at their conversation.

When she felt ready, Cat looked up at Vincent. He longed for her. She knew anything she said would alleviate his suffering. A question was the only thing she could find. "Why do we have to talk about this?"

It wasn't her words that broke his heart; though their insinuation had that power. It was her tone; her pleading, her wish that he could not grant.

"Because…" Vincent whispered. "It's the only way we can, as you say, move forward."

"It'll ruin everything." Cat murmured.

Her barb took him aback. His shock prolonged their silence. Vincent blinked several times before demanding clarification. "What?"

Cat ran her fingers through her hair, signaling her unease. She hoped Vincent would speak again; ask something else or bring up the subject a different way. Counting the beats between them, Cat knew she had no choice but to repeat herself: "It will ruin everything," she spoke with clarity.

Vincent's disgust roared through him. "What do you mean?"

His roar led Cat to flinch again. Somehow in Vincent's rage, he missed it. Relief that he was distracted flowed over her and she regained her composure. Cat planted her feet firmly on the ground and stood tall. "I mean we have never talked about what happens between us when you transform. Talking about it now will ruin our interaction when you're like that and I don't want it to." Her assertiveness kept Vincent from protesting. "Worse, it would make it more dangerous for both of us."

"Ruin our interaction?" Vincent questioned the nostalgia in her voice.

"Yes." Cat worked hard to hold her ground, but when she noticed hurt in his expression she broke it and whispered, "Can't you understand that?"

Vincent stepped back. "No. I can't."

"I know you know what I'm talking about. It doesn't matter how many times you deny it."

"Is that like – a threat or something?" Vincent tried to ask softly.

"No, of course not. I'm sorry." Cat reached for him. "I'm just trying to figure out how to talk to you."

"Okay…" Vincent searched for understanding. When he couldn't find it in her expression, his gaze settled on the floor. Cat brought her hand to his cheek once more, letting him know she wasn't going anywhere. The question he was afraid of asking slipped off his tongue when he felt her thumb brushing against his cheek; waiting for him to open up to her. "I'm afraid of what you're trying to tell me."

She continued to stroke his cheek but it was felt different somehow. Now it was more of a substitute for words than a comfort to emotions. "I know you are," she told him breathlessly.

"So…" Vincent backed away from her touch and took his usual spot on her bed. "How do we talk about this?"

"Well," Cat felt safer talking to him now that he had calmed down a little. "We do what we always do." She sat next to him. Meeting his longing gaze, she whispered, "We trust each other."

"Catherine…" Vincent warned her and then paused to gather his thoughts. "I don't want to put you in more of a dangerous situation than I have to and if I can't control myself around you than maybe we shouldn't be with each other-" The protest on the tip of Cat's tongue forced him to raise his voice over her. "At least until I know what's going on and how to control it."

Cat replaced her fight within her with contentment. "But Vincent, you do." She waited until Vincent understood how serious she was. Cat grabbed his hand. "You do control it. If you didn't I'd be dead right now and you know it. Don't look for a way out our relationship just because things are hard. That's my M.O. remember?" she joked. Cat waited for Vincent to lighten up before continuing. "We can't stay away from each other now even if we wanted to." Cat squeezed his hand. "We're in this together. And," she took a deep breath and wondered if she would regret her offer, "I want to help you, okay? I always do."

Vincent released her hand and shifted uncomfortably. He took a deep breath and prepared to share his fears with her. "JT said my heart stops when I transform." He watched Cat expecting to see surprise, but her response seemed delayed until he finished his thought. Fear surged through Vincent as he continued. "Does that make sense to you?"

"Yeah…" Cat nodded slowly. "That makes a lot of sense to me."

When Vincent took a deep breath to digest the information, his vulnerability returned. His voice started to break when he asked, "Could you explain it to me?"

Tension that Cat didn't know she was holding released at his question. A laugh of relief broke her serious expression when she realized she wasn't afraid to talk to him about his physical transformation. After her latest discovery with his other side earlier today, a conversation about his emotional shift would be too much for her to handle.

Cat smiled and hoped some of his tension would break with hers. "Sure."

It was Vincent's turn to tense at her touch. Just placing a reassuring hand on his knee sent him backing away from Cat.

"Okay." Cat interlocked her fingers and brought them to her lap. She took a moment to collect her thoughts, trying to find a positive way to talk about such a sensitive issue. "JT's observation makes sense to me because I observe the same thing. I don't need science to know you are not yourself when you are – in that state. How many times have I told you that?"

"I know, but I – I just thought you were trying to console me or something. I didn't know you believed it in the literal sense."

"I don't!" Cat spoke over him trying to defend herself without thinking. Their gazes snapped together and he raised his eyebrows at her in question. Cat broke from him to focus on the threads of a blanket. An awkward silence filled her room. To break it, Cat admitted breathlessly, "I don't know."

"You don't know how you see me?" Vincent asked coldly. He tried not to sound accusing, but did anyway.

"Vincent!" Cat cried in frustration. She stood before him and in an instant, some of the magic Cat felt between them fell apart. "You are ruining it."

"Ruining what?" He raised his voice. "Whatever relationship you have with my other side?"

"It's still you!" Cat yelled back. "Just because you don't accept every side of yourself doesn't mean that I don't."

"You can't have it both ways, Catherine. Either I am myself or I'm not. You can't say 'you are not yourself' and then say 'It's still you.' Pick one."

Rage tore through Cat at his demand. "Pick one?" She shouted. "I'm allowed to have conflicting emotions on the subject, Vincent. That's why I wasn't ready to talk about this in the first place."

Vincent shook his head. "You didn't want to talk to me because you didn't want to ruin anything, whatever that means."

"That's not -!"

"Cat?" Heather's voice diffused their tension replaced it with panic. "What's going on? I heard-" Heather opened Cat's bedroom door. "Yelling," her call settled to a whisper when she found the room deserted. "Cat?"

Heather was about to turn to inspect the adjacent bathroom when she heard footsteps outside on the fire escape.

* * *

If Muirfield's lobby was enticing to Evan, Room Two had the opposite effect. The door locked behind him when he entered. Cameras followed his every move. There were no windows. No carpets. Cement covered every surface. The surroundings didn't bother him though. It was something in the air, something that told him he made the wrong decision in coming here. The hostile atmosphere inside the room was suffocating.

It was clear he was a prisoner here.

Evan reached for the phone in his pocket. Dead. Of course. Sweat beads formed on his forehead and he wiped them away before they could fall. He tried pacing to settle his nerves, but action only made it worse.

The door creaked open and Evan spun at the sound. "Evan Marks," a tall man entered the room. "Welcome."

Flippant remarks ran through Evan's mind, one right after another, but he knew better than to speak. He learned his lesson with the secretary out in the lobby. It wasn't her that kept him quiet, though, nor was it the man twice his size standing before him. No, it was Cat's image that kept him quiet. He needed to find a strong presence for her.

Evan straightened his feeble posture. "Thank you."

"Have a seat." The man motioned to the table in the center of the confined room. Evan did what he was told and the man took a seat across from him. "Now, I understand you possess certain skills and have the resources that we are sorely lacking around here. Is that why you have decided to join us?"

Join us? Is that what they called locking up their visitors? "Yes, sir." Evan replied.

"Your research is extraordinary. I noticed you started developing a way to recreate the creature."

Evan wished the man would continue so he didn't need to confirm or deny anything. However, when the man held his gaze it was clear Evan had no choice, but to confirm the man's statement. "Yes, sir."

"Why did you stop?"

Telling him the truth: that they stole his research and then kidnapped him, seemed like a bad idea to Evan. "I only meant to recreate the creature's DNA to understand it. Understanding its DNA would tell me how it was mutating. The only way I knew to do that was to recreate it."

"Seems like a good approach, Mr. Marks." The man leaned forward. "Only we do things a little different here. We're not interested in your research to recreate the creature. We're interested in your skills to help us destroy it."

His words echoed in the room. Excitement bubbled in Evan, but he would not let it surface. "So," he knew he was taking a risk in asking for clarification. "You don't care how the creature is mutating?"

"On the contrary," The man repositioned himself to create a stronger presence. "Understanding its mutations gives us a way to track its strengths and weakness." Evan's interrogator again fell silent. Evan searched for a way to confirm or deny something, but his instincts told him to keep quiet. "Are you in, Mr. Marks?"

"Yes, sir." Evan found his confidence. "I am all in."

* * *

A/N: Thank you so much for the favorites, follows, and reviews. Your feedback keeps me excited to write!


	20. Through The Darkest Of Your Days

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 20: Through The Darkest Of Your Days_

Heather listened to the clonking footsteps on the fire escape. She looked down at her hands resting on her hips and wondered if following her sister was the best way to satisfy her curiosity. Before she respected her doubts, her feet dragged towards the window and up the fire escape. She crouched down on the top step just as Cat turned in her direction on the rooftop.

Heather concentrated to hear Cat's voice. "You need to go."

"I'm not leaving now, okay?" Vincent objected. "We're not going to end our conversation like this."

Heather's chest tightened watching her sister's eyes water. Cat's voice broke when she responded. "I think it's best if we do." Cat fought to hold herself together. "Plus, there's a good chance my sister is hiding on the fire escape, listening to us."

"Okay…" Vincent looked over his shoulder. If he could detect another soul close to them, he wouldn't allow his senses to distract him from their conversation. "That's fine," he tried to convince himself. "Will you just hear me out for one minute before I go?"

Cat avoided his gaze and pointed down the opposite side of the building. "You have to walk down the other fire escape."

"Catherine." Vincent took a step towards her and she backed away. "You were right, okay? I pushed you before you were ready. I should have given you time to process what happened and how you feel. I mean," He tried walking towards Cat again and she let him, but her crossed arms and lowered gaze kept the distance between them. "I know it's a lot and I don't want to ruin anything."

Cat lifted her gaze to Vincent's when he echoed her previous words. Despite his earlier denial, Vincent's expression confirmed Cat's claim – he knew exactly what he would be ruining between them. After she received his verification, she hungered for him.

A smirk brighten Heather's face as she watched Cat give in to her yearnings and reached for the man. Their kiss was too short for Heather to work up a squeal, however, and Cat pushed him back when he leaned in for another.

"You need to go, Vincent. Avoiding the subject isn't fair to either of us." Cat cried, "And I can't do this, with you, right now. I need some time to - "

"Time to process," Vincent's voice broke. "I know," he whispered and stepped back.

Cat covered her cheeks with her palms. "I'm -"

He raised a hand between them. "Don't be…" The rest of his sentence caught in his throat. His unspoken words prevented either one of them from leaving. Their gazes locked and pulled them closer together. Cautiously, Cat's hands lowered and moved towards his cheeks. While she cradled his face a distant memory flashed through Vincent; she had held him with the same empathic look before. Though his memory was blurry, he could make it out enough to form a basement's image.

Vincent tore away from her touch. His sudden movement surprised Cat and she took a step back. "I need to go," he announced.

Unable to work through her confusion, Cat could only reply with a soft, "Yeah," before watching him disappear down the other side of the building.

Heather watched her sister stare at the opposite fire escape and wondered why she allowed herself to stand in the cold when nothing was there. A gust of wind blew in Heather's face and sent chills through her body. The heat between Cat and the stranger kept Heather on the iron stairs, obvious to the cold. Now that it was gone, there was no reason to stay here any longer.

Something pushed Heather down the steps. She didn't know if it was lowering temperature or her growing desire not to be caught eavesdropping, but her adrenaline did not cease until she ran into her room and closed the door behind her. Leaning against it, Heather reeled on the words she had overheard and debated if she should confront Cat about them or not.

Before she felt comfortable in her decision, Cat pushed open her door causing her to jump.

"Hey!" Cat faked a smile. "Sorry about the yelling."

"No, don't worry." Heather brushed off her curiosity. Her decision to confront Cat changed the moment she noticed the pain behind her sister's eyes. "I just put headphones on." She lied. "No big deal."

Cat knew her sister too well to allow her to casually brush off a fight she overheard. "Really?"

"Yeah. What's sharing an apartment with your sister if there's not yelling from time to time?"

"I think the yelling is meant to be between us," Cat corrected Heather.

"Oh, it's bound to happen sooner or later. Just wait." The sisters shared a smile and Heather hoped her quip would remove Cat's pain. When it didn't, she asked softly, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah," Cat's confirmation was too casual for Heather. It was then she knew her sister was hiding more than the man on the roof. Cat's pain, her exhaustion kept reminding Heather not to speak out. It was why she allowed Cat to lie once more. "Just tired."

"I know," Heather nodded. "Come here." She reached for Cat and wrapped her arms around her. "When you want to talk to me, I'm here." Heather pulled back to look at her sister. She waited for a response. "Okay?"

Cat pulled Heather into another hug. "Okay," she whispered on her shoulder.

* * *

How do you give someone space? How much time was enough time? Was calling it space a way to evade a breakup? Was three days enough time to let pass before initiating contact again?

Because that's how long Vincent went without speaking to Cat.

He checked up on her, of course. He couldn't help it. Every time he saw her, either laughing with Tess or eating dinner with Heather, he hoped seeing her happy would give him some satisfaction but he ended up feeling worse.

"Hey buddy," JT interrupted his thoughts. "How's it going?" He asked evasively.

"Fine." Vincent dropped his arms on the table. "Everything is fine."

"She'll call." JT took a seat across from. "You worry too much."

Vincent snapped his head in JT's direction. "Look who's talking."

"Fair enough," JT admitted his accustomed behavior. "I'm just saying, there's nothing to worry about with Cat. No one has been more devoted to anyone than she is to you." He shrugged, "Maybe the time apart will do you good."

"Yeah…" Vincent agreed without processing JT's words.

"You're not listening to me."

The far-off look in Vincent's eyes ended and he sat up straighter. "Sorry."

"Okay, Catherine Chandler is off the table." JT said to himself. "In other news, we need to talk about Evan."

Vincent sighed. Evan was the last topic he wanted to talk about. "Okay…"

"He offered to join Muirfield and spy on them for us."

"What?"

JT ignored Vincent's shock. He tried to answer Vincent's question quickly so he could reach the point they needed to address. "Well, not technically for us, but for Cat. It's really the same thing if you think about it. Anyway-"

"It's not the same thing, JT."

"The three of us are a team, Vincent. We're family. Evan doesn't need to know that. He can use us and we can use him and then all four of us can have what we want."

"JT." Vincent stated his name strongly, hoping to bring him back to reality. "All Evan wants is Catherine."

JT parted his lips and closed them. Vincent's announcement forced him to slow down. JT sighed, "Again with the jealousy. Don't you know how much Catherine is in love with you? Her feelings are what's probably scaring her off more than the other thing."

"You mean the thing where my other, more charming side is longing for her?"

"Okay…" JT shifted in his seat. "You have to come to terms with that too before you guys can move forward."

"I'm trying-"

"No. You are obsessing over how much time can pass before you can talk to her." JT called him out and Vincent rolled his eyes. "That's not the point right now." He paused so they could refocus. "The point is I need you to keep tabs on Evan." Vincent tried to object, but JT pressed on. "If you follow him we'll know how much he is telling us the truth and how much he is lying."

Vincent crossed his arms and retorted, "Don't you think that's dangerous? Especially if he's hanging around Muirfield?"

"You'll be careful." JT stated with confidence. "You always are."

They looked at each other across the table. Vincent watched JT and thought about his transformation over the last few months. Since Cat came into their lives JT's confidence had grown; slowly, sure, but it broke through more easily than it ever did before. After a few moments of processing the new information, Vincent whispered, "Does Catherine know about Evan?"

JT opened his mouth to speak, but his words died on his tongue before they could make a sound. His silence answered Vincent's question, but JT chose to explain further, "Evan asked me not to tell her."

"So!" Vincent objected loudly. "Since when does that stop you? You just said Evan's wishes don't matter."

"Actually," JT corrected him. "I said Evan doesn't need to know about the three of us. Sadly, Evan does matter."

"You need to tell Catherine."

"I-I-" JT surprised himself with how much hesitancy he had on the subject. "I think that's a bad idea."

Vincent crossed his arms and leveled JT with his gaze. "You don't have a choice. You're the one who said Catherine was family. We can't hide anything from her anymore."

"Okay, okay…I know." JT conceded. "I just hope telling her will prevent drama and not create it."

"JT," Vincent challenged. "You know Catherine wants to avoid drama if she can. Think of it being fair to her instead of a way to stir the pot."

"Wow," JT leaned back in his chair. "Look who's growing…Way to take the high road."

Vincent smiled, "Yeah. I'd think twice about calling me jealous from now on."

The chair creaked when JT stood up. He grabbed his bag from the table and swung it over his shoulder. "I'll see you tonight," he said and slapped Vincent on the back.

"Talk to her!" Vincent called after him before the door slammed shut.

* * *

The morgue was locked when JT arrived. Surprised, he repositioned his bag to grab his keys from his pocket. After entering and turning on the lights he found the room exactly how he had left it. Confronted with no new information, JT wondered what he was doing here. He dropped his bag on the examination table and leaned back on the counter in thought.

Muirfield was interested in Vincent's DNA mutations to find his weakness. Evan was interested in them so he could recreate Vincent's DNA for himself. Had Evan given up his own goal for Muirfield's? Did it matter?

JT shifted his position and closed his eyes. Why was he still working here? Vincent's mutations weren't posing much of a threat, certainly less than he originally thought. The small changes Vincent had talked to him about seem to help him control his other side rather than causing him more problems. If Vincent was telling the truth, was it worth tracking his mutations anymore? Was he just here to keep tabs on Evan rather than to help Vincent? Was that enough of a reason?

"You're thinking too much," Cat announced herself softly. JT opened his eyes to look at her. She had her hair braided down her back and a small package in her right hand hanging at her side.

"Yeah, well," JT brought his hand to his neck. "There's a lot to think about."

Cat took a deep breath. She eyed the table across from JT and walked to it in silence. Once she leaned on it and crossed her ankles, she asked, "Like what?"

JT locked eyes with Cat. Now was a perfect time to tell her about Evan, he knew, but somehow he couldn't. "Like why you won't talk to your boyfriend. You must know you are torturing him."

Cat looked away. "I'm not trying to." She whispered, "It's not like he's reached out either."

"That's crap and you know it." JT challenged her.

"JT!" Cat spoke out. "I'm going to over there tonight, okay? It's been a busy few days, but I found time to think and everything's good. Don't worry."

"Oh, I'm not worried. You accepted both sides of him before you knew you needed to. That's how I knew you were perfect for him."

Blushing, Cat smiled. "I know."

"Good."

They starred at each other for a moment before looking away. Their awkward silence was worse for JT than for Cat. He hated not knowing what to say.

"So, um…" Cat started slowly. "I have something for you."

Suddenly, JT remembered his birthday. "What?"

Cat repositioned the package in her hand and offered it out to him. "I know you guys don't do birthdays, but you and I live in the real world and I just thought…" She shook the small package in front of him. "Well – here."

JT looked between Cat and the package. His body tensed at the decision before him.

Cat shook her head and smiled. "It's no big deal, JT. After everything you have done for me – for us – I thought your birthday was worth celebrating."

Fighting his better instincts, JT hesitantly accepted her gift.

Her smiled widen. "Happy Birthday, JT." Cat whispered. They gazes collided once more before Cat stepped back. She walked out of the morgue without another word.

Once she disappeared, JT redirected his attention to the flat present in his hands. It was light and rectangular.

No. He wasn't going to play guessing games. JT rushed to hide her present inside his bag. He opened a folder to start his work. Thirty seconds later, he returned back to his bag.

He ripped open the plain wrapping before he could help himself. He had to look over the DVD twice to figure out how Cat chose it for his birthday present. Its title read:

_Star Wars Episode II: Attack of The Clones._


	21. Then I Hope There's Someone Out There

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 21: Then I Hope There's Someone Out There_

_She was pointing a gun at him. It shook in her hands as she watched him. He held onto the metal shelves to restrain from lunging at her._

Vincent's eyes snapped open. His other side didn't want to hurt Catherine. In fact, it knew enough to take whatever means possible to stay away from her. Vincent leaned back in his chair and let darkness fall over him again.

_The police sirens upstairs tensed his body. He had to leave the basement before they found him here. There was no escape. He was going to be caught. "Stop! He's out. He didn't see you." She called for him. "Vincent. Stop. We need him alive. I prove that he's guilty, Iris goes free." He understood her. "Stop. Vincent. Those girls are okay because of you. You saved a child's life yesterday." Slowly, she placed her palms on his cheeks. She looked into his eyes and waited for him._

Catherine talked to his other side more sweetly than she talked to him. There was a softness in her voice when she tried to calm his other side down that was simply not there when he fought with her. With him, she stood her ground and refused to sacrifice her point of view when they argued. With his other side, all her defenses were gone.

_She was dying. Unhinging the car door was the only way he could save her. He reached for her in the same way she used to reach for him - with care, with tenderness. He pressed his cheek to her hair and held her to him. Losing her was the only thing that would keep him out of control forever._

Everyday, Vincent thought about Catherine's power over him to keep him sane or to send him out of control. Did his other side feel her effect on him before he was aware of it? He put his hands over his face and tried to remember the first time Catherine influenced his behavior unconsciously. He couldn't. Did she first use her influence with his other side and it somehow translated to him or was it the other way around?

He suppressed his questiones for as long as he could. The longer Vincent ignored them, the more he could convince himself he didn't need to understand his other side in order to control it. He needed control. If not for himself, than for Catherine and her safety. After everything she had sacrificed for their relationship, why was it so difficult for him to attempt to find the answers to his questions?

* * *

Tess' office chair creaked with each swivel. Cat buried her forehead in her palm and made sure she could see nothing but her paperwork.

"I'm bored." Tess explained her behavior. "Can Vincent find us a crime to solve?"

"No." Cat flipped the page. "He can't."

"Yes…He must be so busy – what with not having a job."

Cat slammed her pen down. Her glare reminded Tess of how she would interrogate the guilty. "I'll try not be offended by that."

Tess stopped swiveling her chair. "Sorry…" Cat still glared at her and Tess repeated herself more quickly. "Sorry."

"I have to drop these release papers off to Evan." Cat pushed back from her desk and spun her chair around. Her heals tapped the wooden floor with her each step to the morgue.

Tess leaped up and took large strides to catch up with her partner. "When are we going to do that dinner date he promised me?" Flinging the corridor door open, Cat tried to outrun Tess down the stairs. "Cat!"

She took the stairs two at a time. "I don't know, Tess!"

"Wait." Tess caught up with Cat enough to tug on her elbow. The tug had enough pressure to turn Cat back to her. Cat didn't speak. Her hallowed breathes yearned for more air. "He said sometime this week. Does he usually go back on promises?"

"It's been three days. Not a week. He hasn't gone back on anything." Cat's words echoed through the stairway, making them seem louder than they actually were. "And contrary to your beliefs, he has a lot going on right now."

"Right…" Tess couldn't help repeating herself again. "Sorry…"

Cat sighed, "Can we just - try to go back to the way it was? I am not comfortable talking about him, with you, at work. It is not safe."

"Fair enough." Tess released Cat's elbow.

Imagining darting down the stairs as soon as she was free, Cat surprised herself when she stayed with Tess. "I understand why you're impatient, Tess. I do. Turning down your excitement, though, would alleviate a weight on my shoulders."

Tess' expression softened. "Okay."

Cat refocused her attention back to the stairs before Tess finished agreeing with her. Her pace only slowed when the morgue was in sight.

Evan's voice boomed down the hallway. "You said this was going to help, JT."

"It will – It does!" Silence. "I just don't think you helping Muirfield find chinks in the DNA is going to help anyone."

"You told me joining Muirfield would help." Cat's anger grew with Evan's confidence. "This is what they asked me to do and I am going to do it."

Cat looked back at Tess. Tess raised her eyebrows in question, but said nothing. She took the first step forward. When Cat noticed her tip-toe, she no longer cared if her heals pounded the marble floor. Their noise drowned JT's response. Before thinking about the consequences of her actions, Cat revealed herself in the morgue's open doorway.

JT's eyes widened and locked with hers. Blood rushed into his cheeks.

"J.T." Evan demanded his attention. "You agreed that coming together with two sets of information would help. Here is the other set of information. Now, how does this help Cat?"

"Help me?" Cat interrupted, abhorrence filling her voice. "What are you talking about?"

Evan turned at her words. He gaped, speechless at her anger and mortified his reveal. It wasn't supposed to happen here. He was saving his secret for her in the perfect moment.

"Evan!" Cat cried. "What are you doing? What are you thinking?"

"Someone needs to protect you. If your little boyfriend isn't going to do it," Evan motioned to JT. "Than I sure as hell am."

Cat took a step closer to Evan. Her anger prevented her from controlling her expression. Aware she was on the edge, she yelled at him. "So what?" Evan's longing expression broke her down further. "You thought you'd join the organization that kidnapped us?"

"Cat," Evan reached for her. His fingers stroked her arm. She shuddered away. "The more we know about the creature, the better we can protect you from it. You must know how it was looking at you. He hungered for you."

"Hungered for me?" Cat repeated with disgust. "Evan, you have no idea what you trapped yourself into." She swallowed. Unconsciously, she moved closer to Evan once more. She allowed herself to be entranced by his longing gaze. But after a moment, she whispered, "Did JT tell you, my Mother's involvement in Muirfield is what led to her murder?"

Blood drained from Evan's face. "What?"

"Yeah…" Cat tore herself from his gaze. Her eyes watered as she looked at JT. "How could you not tell me about this?"

JT leaned in Cat's direction. "Cat-"

"No. I have to go." Cat backed into Tess as she made her way out of the morgue. Tess tried to reach around her, to support her, but Cat fought to free herself. "Let go of me," she demanded. Soon, she was out of Tess' grasp and running down the hall.

"Cat!" Evan called after her, but Tess knew enough to stop him.

"Just wait, okay?" She blocked the doorway with her arm. "Let her cool off."

Evan's attention was divided between an empty hallway and Tess' push against him. He was still torn when Tess gave up her physical fight and resorted to an emotional one. When Evan saw her love for her friend in her face, he backed away.

JT approached the door. "Excuse me," he whispered. Tess searched over him, trying to understand his intentions before letting him by.

"Sure!" JT heard Evan down the hall. "Let the lousy boyfriend through!"

He didn't know why he was going after Cat. Worse, he was running after her. The afternoon's light illuminated the dark corridor. JT spotted its source, originating out of the back door at the end of the hall and knew Cat would be just outside it.

When he reached the door he stopped. Instead of looking out the window he turned back down the hallway. It was empty. He didn't have a choice now. JT hesitated for one more moment before pushing the door open.

A part of him expected to find her crying. His better half knew she wouldn't be. Cat raised her head at the sound of the door creak.

They starred at each other. JT took a breath a braced himself for a fight. It didn't come. Instead, Cat put her hand up between them.

"I'm sorry." JT stated.

Cat nodded. She paced back and forth, hoping to use up her angered energy.

JT tried again, "Cat-"

She halted and turned to face him. The sight of him made her sick. Cat crossed her arms. Finally able to form words, she took a step towards him. "Screw you," she said before walking away.

* * *

Cat didn't like being in the warehouse alone. She expected to find Vincent here. There was no trace of him. Maybe his absence was best. Blowing up at him wouldn't do any good. It would probably make things worse. Cat's gaze drifted from Vincent's bed to the kitchen to the metal fence that separated upstairs from down.

Vincent wasn't the person she came here to see.

Screw you? Her words ricochet in head like old church bells. She regretted her words…and yet, what else was she supposed to say? They were a team. They were family. Keeping anything from her was a betrayal.

Anger pushed Cat forward. She swung the fence open with force and stomped her way down the stairs. She had come here to cool off but somehow she ended up more infuriated.

The warehouse never made her angry.

Creaks and slams echoed through the building and sent Cat into police mode. She pulled her gun out as the lock to JT's office door turned.

The door was pulled open to reveal the office's owner on its other side. JT reacted to her gun on instinct. He raised his arms to show off his innocence. "Whoa, okay. Are we onto round two?"

Cat blinked. She counted her heartbeats, hoping the focus would be enough to calm her down. Watching JT's raised arms, Cat soon realized the ridiculousness of the situation. She replaced her gun into its holder. "Who do you think you are?"

JT humiliated Cat further by laughing off her question. He lowered his hands and made his way to his desk where he dropped his shoulder bag. JT crossed his arms and bowed his head. Unable to deal with the silence, he finally whispered. "I have no idea who I am, Cat." She rolled her eyes at him, waiting for him to say something real. "No. No." He lifted his hand between them. "Since you asked me to spy on Evan for you, I've had no idea what I am doing. I can't define myself anymore."

"So this is my fault?" Cat raised her voice.

"I don't know." JT met her gaze and matched her tone. "Maybe." He stopped and waited for Cat's retort. It didn't come. "Vincent's mutations seem to be progressing slower and more smoothly than we thought, so I don't need to access to Evan's equipment anymore. So, I guess I am just working with Evan to spy on him now?" JT knew his question was rhetorical but still paused. "If I am, don't I need to gain his trust? Telling you all his secrets won't help. I told you I wasn't a good actor and I don't know how to do this."

"Do what?" Cat yelled. "Pretend to be on Evan's team or be honest with me?" She jabbed, "Because I have to tell you – you failed at both today."

"Oh. Jeez. I'm sorry." JT acted remorseful. "Did I screw up the delicate little balancing act we had going? My bad."

His light tone pulsed through Cat's veins. "JT." She tried to regroup. "How could you not tell me what Evan was doing? Worse," Her voice lowered, somehow making everything more serious. "Ask him to spy on Muirfield for -"

"I did not ask him to do anything with Muirfield!" JT defended his actions over her. "He offered and I -"

"You – you what?" Cat stepped towards him and pretended to reach for something out of thin air. "Told him what a great idea it was?"

"I didn't!" His short reply allowed both of them to take a breath. "He asked me if spying on Muirfield would help you and I said it would. Okay? His information has been useful. Now we know what Muirfield is up to."

"Yeah – at Evan's expense."

JT his shook head in disapproval. "Well, you can't have them all, Catherine."

Cat jolted back. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Forget it," JT murmured.

"No." Cat demanded. "Tell me."

JT held her gaze for a moment before moving. He jerked his bag towards him and pulled out the DVD she gave him for his birthday. "What the hell is this?"

The change of subject disoriented her. "What?"

"This." JT flung the DVD across the desk. "What the hell is it?"

Cat picked up the Star Wars DVD. "It's a birthday present…" She took her time answering, but then her explanation flowed out. "I told you I knew you guys didn't do birthdays, but you know how much birthdays mean to me and I thought it was nice." Her tone changed to sarcasm. "Sorry. Next year I won't bother."

"I don't know anything, Cat. Birthdays must be something you talked about with Vincent. Don't confuse us."

"Excuse me?" Cat blurted out.

JT closed his eyes. When he regained his composure, he looked back at the woman across from him. "Don't confuse us. Don't confuse your real boyfriend with your fake one-"

Cat's cheeks turned a deep shade of red while her words caught in her throat. Whatever thoughts she had on Evan's perception of her relationship with JT, she buried them deep inside. "I would never." Cat promised him. "JT, I'm sorry if you ever thought-"

"So," He cut her off again. He didn't want her apology. "What the hell is this?" He grabbed the DVD back. "A gift for your boyfriend's best friend or for your fake boyfriend?"

A window creaked above them. The noise scared Cat's answer, whatever it was, out of her. Even though she was on the first floor, she was able to listen to the footsteps on the roof. Cat followed then to the edge of the building before watching a green jacket fall down passed the half-covered window in JT's office.

JT followed Cat's gaze and saw the edge of Vincent's jacket before it disappeared. "Great," his sarcasm covered up his anger before he threw his birthday present across his desk.

Vincent had heard their whole conversation.

* * *

A/N: Yeah - That's right, JT has feelings too! This chapter has been ready for days. I wanted to give it to guys earlier, but readers did not convince me to update early...Vincent/Catherine/Beast wonderfulness on the way (but there's only one way to read it _ (Shhh...It's in the box right below))_!


	22. Who Can Bring Me Back To You

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 22: Who Can Bring Me Back To You_

What was the point of tracking Evan's visits to Muirfield if he couldn't hear anything they told him once he entered their headquarters?

Vincent's frustrations impacted how hard he landed on the warehouse's roof. The gravel sprung up when his feet connected with the rooftop, hitting his shins before falling into place again.

Wincing, Vincent tried to find a lighter touch. If not for his benefit, than for JT's. How many times had JT lectured him on the importance of becoming undetectable?

Yells from below him ended Vincent's attempt to control his actions. He froze, surprised to hear Catherine's voice.

"– at Evan's expense."

The fight in JT was stronger than it usually was. Vincent noticed the edgy undertone in his voice. "Well, you can't have them all, Catherine."

Vincent knelled down and let gravel imprint on his skin as he put his palm down for an extra support. Despite his efforts, silence returned to the rooftop and he contemplated his next move. Listening in on their conversation felt wrong somehow…and yet, the three of them never kept secrets from each other.

"What the hell is this?" JT's hurt voice broke through the walls.

Silence once more.

"This." Vincent worried what JT was referring to. "What the hell is it?"

Catherine's mummers were all he could make out. There was a stress to her voice that put a strain on his heart. Usually when Vincent knew she was in pain, he would do everything in his power to save her from it. Now didn't seem like the right time to act. Her voice came through again, "Sorry. Next year I won't bother."

Next year? What about next year?

JT had a strong response, Vincent could tell, but whatever it was stayed inside the building.

Catherine's offense, though, was loud and clear. "Excuse me?"

"Don't confuse us." JT demanded. Though still confused, Vincent's eyes widened at the discovery that he was overhearing a personal conversation rather than a formal one. "Don't confuse your real boyfriend with your fake one-"

Half-transformed, Vincent stopped breathing. The only two people he cared for in the world weren't fighting about what he assumed they were talking about. There was no way…

JT continued to exacerbate, "What the hell is this? A gift for your boyfriend's best friend or for your fake boyfriend?"

He was done. The world Vincent once knew had ceased to exist. He didn't need to hear anymore. Because really, after the world ends, what could possibly happen next?

For the second time in his life, Vincent wished he could transform into his other side and let it take over him. Unlike before with her car door, there was nothing around him he could use to trigger a reaction. The only action that was left to take was to run away. He was falling through the air, halfway down the side of the warehouse, before he knew the action he had took.

Images seem to blur after his shoes slammed through the dirt as he landed. He wondered if the dust clouds around him blurred the images or if he was on the edge of another blackout. He inhaled fresh air and knew the dust had settled around him. Relieved, Vincent focused on the fence blocking his escape route, wondering if he should run or turn back.

"Vincent!" JT yelled behind him. Vincent detected the desperation in his voice and couldn't decide if he liked it or not. "Wait! It's not what it sounded like."

Vincent's deep breaths caused pain in his chest and he struggled to breathe in and out. He knew he only had seconds to look down at veins bulging out of hands to know what was coming next. His fingernails were already turning into claws when Vincent turned back to JT. JT's breathing kept time with his own. The man and the creature stood with each other, five hundred feet apart, trying to connect with the other. They couldn't.

His beast took over Vincent while he starred at the man before him. Urges started to push Vincent's beast forward towards the man. A stun gun was raised to his chest level. He searched for something to throw in their junkyard…something to alleviate his anger.

"Vincent!" She yelled halfway through the doorway. "Stop! It's okay!"

Vincent's beast spotted an old car door a few feet from him. He bent to pick it up. It felt good in his claws. He envisioned throwing it at the man. The woman ran to him. He knew her. He recognized her scent. For whatever reason, he knew not to hurt her. Vincent's beast looked from the woman to the man.

"Vincent." The woman redirected his attention. With a deep groan he turned back to her. Vincent's beast dropped the car door when he looked into her eyes. When she sighed with relief, however, he knew dropping the door was all he could do. His eyes burned at her. He needed to run away.

Up the fence he went, leaping off its metal pole. All conscious thought disappeared after he let himself go. He roared into the night. He jumped onto and between rooftops, climbed up bridges, and down large antennae until there were no obstacles left.

Trees surrounded him. Wind swept across him. He could breathe again.

Vincent watched his veins disappear. His curved shoulders straightened. Once he reacquainted himself with his body he was able to recognized his surroundings: Central Park, at twilight. Suddenly he was aware of the people around him. Thankfully, no one seemed close enough to him to notice his recent transformation.

Placing his hands in his pockets, Vincent walked further from whatever crowd was left in the park so darkness cover could him. He knew he should leave the famous park all together, but a sense of rebellion kept him here. Rules were disregarded tonight, so why did he have to stick to rooftops?

_Don't confuse us. _His best friend had warned Catherine. _Don't confuse your fake boyfriend with your real one. _

Confuse them? Since when had there been something to confuse? With a much calmer approach, Vincent reminded himself there was no way Catherine or JT would do such a thing. These were the two people he trusted most in world. Both have put their lives on the line for him.

Is that what bonded them together?

"_It's not what it sounded like." _

"_It's okay!" _

He didn't know why, but somehow he believed them. His gut knew nothing was going on between them and yet he let – desired even – his other side to take over him.

"It's you!" Evan's voice whipped Vincent's head around. Their gazes collided and once more Vincent felt heat behind his eyes. He turned back. "I thought I saw you before…but I wasn't sure and then…" Evan approached the tree Vincent was hiding under with caution; both for his own safety and so not to scare him into running away. He whispered, "I've been looking for you."

Muirfield popped to the front of Vincent's mind at Evan's declaration. His fear at the name was different than it usually was. While he knew to second-guess everything Evan said, there was a genuine curiosity to his whisper that confirmed his interest wasn't entirely for Muirfield's sake.

Still, his innocence was not enough to keep him here. Vincent had stayed longer than he should have. Why he didn't disappear at the sound of Evan's voice was a mystery to him.

Vincent took a silent step further into the darkness.

"No, wait!" Evan called after him. He followed Vincent's step forward with his own. "You don't want to do that."

Evan's warning rung through Vincent and he froze mid-step. Vincent wasn't sure why he was listening to his gut or even Evan's demands, but he did know after tonight, he was either going to reach a new level of trust in his life or destroy the little he had left.

"Muirfield has this place surrounded." Evan told Vincent's back; his green jacket making Vincent somehow more relatable to him. "You move in any direction and they will take you down."

Threats didn't help the situation. Vincent still carried himself on the pride he had about calming himself down from the last time he had felt threaten an hour ago.

Vincent spread his feet. He waited for his shoulders to lower. "What do you want?"

Foreign heartbeats pounded through Vincent; reminding him he wasn't the only one who felt threatened. Evan's shorten breathes went along with his quicken heartbeats. Somehow, their mutual feelings made Vincent empathize with Evan and he wondered if Evan shared his empathy or if their common ground stopped with fear.

"I want to talk to you." Evan announced. "I want to understand why part of me wants to let you go."

Vincent bowed his head, relived. "I saved your life twice." He stopped. Silence. "Isn't that enough?"

"No." Evan spoke over him. Vincent heard metal shake and knew Evan raised a gun on him. "That's not what this is about. You are still a threat to me – to her – to all of New York – your mutations show you are becoming more animal. Animals have no way of controlling themselves. The more animal you become the more dangerous you are."

"Okay, so why don't you kill me now? What's stopping you?"

"I was told not to."

It was tempting for Vincent to turn to back at Evan. He resisted. "By who?"

"Evan!" Cat's yell broke the bond between the two men. "Stop!"

"Cat?" Evan tone grew softer. "What are you doing here?"

"Give me your gun." She demanded.

Astonishment lightened his voice. It was softer when he addressed her. "How did you find me here?"

"You called JT. He told me you where you were," Cat answered. "Now give me your gun."

"Excuse me?"

"Give me it." Her quicken heartbeats and bold footsteps forced Vincent to turn around. "I don't want what happened in the warehouse to happen again. Give it to me."

"I need to protect you." Evan told her. It was clear Cat didn't care. She went into fight mood; doing everything she could to remove Evan's gun from his procession. Evan protested Cat before giving in to her. As he did, the gun went off.

The shot fired is the last noise Vincent heard. His roar came out of his beast when his transformation was complete. He searched for a place hide. Night vision confirmed he was surrounded. Yells confused him. Hurried footsteps frightened him. Flashlights glowed around him.

"Vincent," He felt her touch on his arm. It slid up to cradled his face. She was okay…she was here…with him. His curved shoulders lowered his body and he moved into her. She wasn't running away. She even smiled at him. "Shhhhh…" Her fingers stroked his cheek. "It's okay…It's okay, Vincent."

"Hey!" A man's voice boomed over the commotion. "He's over here!"

Vincent's beast tried to turn at the noise, but her settled hands on his cheeks prevented him from doing so. His head lowered to her. She was crying. He wanted to help her, to soothe her, but he couldn't. All he could do was watch as she turned from him in the man's direction.

He was pointing a different gun at him.

"Evan…" she whispered. "Please…Why send them off trail just to do it yourself? Please…"

"I've been a fool." The man cried. "I didn't realize JT was just helping you cover up your relationship with-" His face crinkled and his voice changed to match his disgusted expression. "HIM!" He raised the gun further and aimed.

"No!" She yelled, tears pouring down her face. "Stop!"

The gun fired, sending Vincent's beast further out of control. He turned to follow her gaze to the man before he realized the bullet fired had entered his own side. Tears refilling her eyes were the last images he saw before blackness.

* * *

A/N: Thank you guys so much for your amazing support. I have been horribly ill for the last week and you guys cheered me up. After reading your comments, I wanted so badly to give you this update over the weekend, but an upset stomach, sore throat, and a headache it makes it kind of difficult. That's what working with children gets me :)! As for Evan - It seems to me like walking on a very high tightrope. I suggest picking a side, but I don't know if he'll listen to me. _Thanks again x__oxo._


	23. Run Away With My Heart

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 23: Run Away With My Heart_

When Vincent was angry, JT knew he had a favorite place in Central Park he liked to hide. Secluded for the most part, JT couldn't argue with his friend's choice of escape. Though, he much rather it be on a deserted rooftop somewhere.

Especially after Cat had called him in tears asking how to help Vincent recover from the bullet Evan had just shot into his side. JT adjusted his shoulder bag bulging with medical supplies and self-defense weapons. In Central Park, surrounded by Muirfield agents, was the last place Vincent should be or JT wanted to go.

Deep voices interrupted JT's worried thoughts and he lunged to hide behind a tree.

"Marks said he was here." Agent Cohen called to his buddy. "There's no trace of him."

"Do you think Marks is playing us?" His partner Smithers replied. "He is the one who called us all out here. What's the likelihood that he called just to distract us while he sought out Keller for himself?"

"I don't know." Cohen stopped to look at Smithers. "But if you're right, Latimer is going to have a field day with him."

Smithers laughed. "I can just see her now with her pearls clacking together as she leans down to inject him."

"I know those pearls help make an impression, but does she know how much they are a distraction behind walls?" With each slanderous word Cohen unconsciously lowered his weapon further down his side.

"I think that's the point." Wind brought a chill through the trees, ending their gossip session. Smithers' fingers tightened around the trigger. "Come on. We need to search the entire area before we can make a case against Marks."

JT kept rigid against the tree. He didn't dare to turn to watch the two men leave the area. Bark penetrated his back as it held onto the tree for support. The men's words echoed through his head. It was minutes before JT was brought back to the present. He hated himself for wasting any time debating if overhearing their conversation would be beneficial or not.

He sprinted through brush to make up for lost time. Only Evan's shaky whisper could make JT slow down.

"Through my research I know the bullet can't kill him." Evan rushed though his speech. "Don't try to move him, Cat. Any movement will make the damage worse." Cat ignored Evan's instructions and pulled Vincent further into her lap. "Cat!" Evan stepped closer to so he could see the intimacy between them. Blood rushed into his cheeks. His limbs shook. Unlike minutes before, when Cat cradled the creature's face, Evan now saw the creature return her affections. Gasping and convulsing in her lap, he reached for Cat. He tried to steady himself against her. Evan looked between them. When he noticed the deep connection in their eyes, he tasted his dinner contents in the back of his throat.

"Vincent," Cat took hold of his outstretched arm. "What do you need? How can I help?"

Conscious thought started to emerge in Vincent's transformation process. Though he knew how to answer her questions, he had to wait for the ability to speak.

"I have it, Cat." JT poked out behind Evan, who previously was too occupied to notice anyone else. JT jogged to Cat and knelt beside them. "We just need to take the bullet out. His body will recover from there."

"Wait…" Evan hovered over the trio. "You know how to save him? JT, only Muirfield told me how his body recovers. How could you possibly know that? I thought we were done keeping secrets from each other."

JT fumbled through his bag. He felt around for the essentials and handed them to Cat. "Lift up his shirt," he ordered and Cat obeyed. "Vincent, I'm going to take the bullet out. Catherine's going to stay with you the whole time."

Half-transformed, Vincent shuddered from his friend's touch. JT sighed. He didn't know if Vincent's hesitation came from a fearful place or from memories from an hour ago. "It's okay, buddy. I'm not going to hurt you."

A whimper sounded from Vincent's throat. He slide closer to JT and conceded with a nod. JT reached for the knife from Cat. When he felt the metal in his palm, he meant to look up and thank her, but found that he couldn't. His unfulfilled intention fired up his synapses.

"JT!" Cat yelled.

"Right." His fingers tightened around the knife's handle. "Sorry." He lowered to a position where he could be most effective.

Evan tried to memorize JT's movements. Any doctor would take the same actions to remove a bullet and JT made the decisions that he would have. Yet, they were different somehow. Evan couldn't describe how or why, but he knew removing a bullet from the creature took a different kind of touch than a regular doctor would possess. A touch he desired for himself. A touch he would never have the talent for.

Evan's question slipped off his tongue. "How are you doing that?"

"Practice." JT answered. He knew avoiding Evan's question would stir more anger. "Lot's of practice."

The transformation finished once the bullet was out. JT released his friend h the moment he was done and stepped back. Vincent took no notice and tucked his chin to examine the wound.

Cat took the opportunity to scoot closer to Vincent. She felt Evan's stare on her back. The more she tried to ignore it, the worse it grew. It was like fire and he was determined to burn a hole in her shirt. Her eyes scrambled as tried to seek advice from Vincent and map out a plan, but with only eye contact to go on, needed specifics fell short.

"And here we are again." Evan bordered on a singsong tone. "After a life or death situation the three of you communicate silently, trying to decide what lies to tell me next. The only difference is now Tess isn't here to distract me."

"We never lied to you, Evan." Cat broke from Vincent and twisted in the dirt until she saw Evan. "Everything I did, I did it to protect you. I never wanted you involved with this."

Evan threw his head back with laughter. "Right. Just like you never gave me a chance in your love life either. After watching you interact with him," He forcefully pointed at Vincent, who was still on the ground. "Do you expect me to believe that you didn't make up your relationship with JT to cover up whatever is between you and our cross-species creature?" He waited for an answer. " Tell me you and JT are together."

JT stepped towards Evan. "We-"

Cat stood up. Her fingers ran through her hair. "We aren't together, Evan." She whispered. For the first time since Vincent interrupted them an hour ago, JT and Cat looked at each other. "We never were."

"Yeah," Evan nodded and looked away. "That much is clear."

Vincent stood and approached Cat. He stopped when his front aligned with Cat's back. "Muirfield is on their way. I have to go."

Cat reached back for Vincent's hand and half-turned. "I'm coming with you," she whispered, hoping no one else would hear.

"You're not going anywhere with him, Cat!" Evan pointed at Vincent.

JT slid between Evan and Cat. "Yes, she is." His firm voice left Evan with no choice. "I'll stay with you," he looked over his shoulder. "You two. Go. Now."

Without another word, Vincent swept up Cat and darted into the darkness. JT and Evan both squinted to watch Vincent's leap over the fence.

After letting a few moments pass, Evan turned to JT. Evan's smooth features surprised JT. "You've been covering for Cat," Evan observed softly. "You've played along with her games and let her toy with your emotions and mine. Why?"

JT ignored Evan and looked away. His questions, however unfounded, didn't deserve validation with an answer.

"It might not be in a romantic way, but you care about her," Evan tried to connect with JT, but realized he was still starring at the spot where Vincent leaped with Cat in his arms. "You care about both of them."

* * *

If it was possible, Cat had forgotten how good Vincent's arms felt around her. She never felt safer than when he held her to him. The high buildings and the immense leaps were energizing rather than freighting. For once Cat had a small glimpse into Vincent's perspective.

When they reached Cat's roof, he thudded on the cement. Vincent released her sooner than she wanted. The knots in her stomach prevented Cat from looking in his direction.

"This is all my fault," Vincent broke their silence.

Cat turned at his confession. Her eyebrows went opposite directions on her forehead. "What are you talking about?" She asked. The only answer she received was a sigh. "Do you always have to play the martyr or only when I am thrown in the equation?"

He took a step closer to Cat and reached for her. "Catherine…"

"Do you think taking responsibility for everything makes you more attractive to me?" He placed a hand on her shoulder and played with strands of hair while she brought hers to his cheek. With a smile, she answered her own question, "Because it really doesn't. You're lucky you have so many other outstanding qualities. They do such a good job of outshining your faults, I almost forget about them."

Vincent's lips parted with his smile. He had never known a woman who could make light of a serious situation. "Yours don't suck, either."

"Oh, my, gosh," Cat flopped her arms on his shoulders. "Never in my whole life has a present caused so much trouble. And that includes the time my Dad gave Heather a boom box for Christmas even though I had been asking for one for years."

He picked a strand of hair and tucked it behind her ear. Part of him, he hadn't decided how big a part, hoped the subject would not come up. "Yeah, I guess I have a flare for the dramatic."

Cat searched his face. She watched her hand slide up his cheek and into his hair. "Both of you do," she whispered.

"Are you talking about JT or my more colorful side?"

Laughing, Cat released his hair to intertwine their fingers. "I _was_ talking about JT, but it does have a double-meaning, doesn't it?"

Vincent squeezed their fingers together and picked up her other hand. Gearing himself up for their deep discussion, he took a deep breath. "I remember."

Her nose crinkled in a way that reminded Vincent of a rabbit, cute but curious. "Remember what? That today is indeed JT's birthday and gifts are allowed?"

Blood drained from Vincent's face. His grip on her hands loosened. "What?"

"Oh…you did forget." Cat withdrew from his touch. "Vincent, if I were to give anyone a random 'Happy Wednesday' gift or a 'Thank You' gift, it would be you. I hope you know that."

"I do – I do know that." Vincent wiped his hands over his face, straining his skin in different directions. "I can't believe I forgot his birthday."

"Well," Cat reached for his right hand again and squeezed it. "You haven't celebrated it in ten years. I think that's understandable."

"Celebrating it and forgetting it are two different things." His gaze dropped to the rooftop gravel, still stuck on his oblivion. Cat swung his arm back and forth, trying to distract him. When he did look up at her, Vincent couldn't help leaning in for a kiss. "Thank you for remembering. JT deserves at least one 'happy birthday.'"

Cat continued to swing their arms. The motion kept the mood casual. "I thought so. Hey," she stopped moving. "What did you mean then? What did you remember?"

"Oh, um," Vincent shifted his weight from one leg to the other. "I, um, spent a lot of time thinking about our little disagreement…Feelings and memories came back to me the more I sat with them. You have a certain power over me, a certain influence over my other side that I haven't quite figured out. You're the only one who can keep me steady, who can calm me down. I didn't understand that. I didn't know that I knew not to hurt you when I'm like that."

Cat shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Of course you do, numbnuts." She squeezed his fingers again. "How long have I been trying to tell you that?"

"I guess I am both." Vincent met her gaze. He could loose himself in the depth her eyes forever. "I guess I am a monster with a conscious. An oxymoron if you ask me, but hey."

"Yet another thing I have to remind you of." She stepped between his legs. "Vincent, you are not a monster."

Vincent leaned his head to its side. "Well, maybe just not around you."

Cat smiled. She raised herself on her tiptoes to dominate over him. Her elbows bent at his shoulders, allowing her forearms to fall down his back. Their noses teased one another and her lips hovered over his. "Now, that I can work with," she whispered before closing the distance between them.

Permitting release of his self-resistant, Vincent slide his tongue into her. When she moaned with satisfaction, he lifted her up, lowering his touch to Cat's bottom. She crossed her legs around him; sweat beads formed around the small of her back while her heart began to beat faster.

Now they could move forward.

* * *

A/N: Thank you, thank you for waiting! I could run-through my excuses, but here's the good news: I finished the other story I was working on, so now I can devote all my writing time to this story. Does that sound good to everyone? I might be free enough to finish a chapter by this weekend...if that was something my readers were interested in. Regarding Evan: I think the writer's made a mistake in killing him off so early. I considered changing his fate in my story (whatever it was...not telling), but then decided to stick to my original plan. I hope its something my readers can grapple with when the time comes. _xoxo._


	24. Run Away With My Hope

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 24: Run Away With My Hope_

A blush heated Cat's cheek as it pressed into her pillow. She felt the heat before she opened her eyes. Blurred memories from last night emerged. Cat snatched covers and pulled them over her head. The memories sharpened. Her eyes shot open. Cat threw the covers off and looked over to the pillow next to hers.

It was occupied. Vincent was still here.

Cat blushed deepened and she smiled. Her attention moved from Vincent to her stomach, which seemed to enjoy flipping her dinner in positions she rather it wouldn't. A glimpse of Vincent beside her wasn't enough. She needed to soak in this rare moment. He could watch her sleeping anytime he wanted. In fact, he often did. Cat never had the chance. Some tension built up as she turned, almost like her body anticipated the image before her mind could. Turning, she wasn't disappointed.

However, there is a consequence of turning over in bed. Opposite limbs come in contact with the sheets and new pressures push on the skin. While Cat admired Vincent's naked sleeping form, her new position reminded, or informed – she wasn't sure which, her of the little indents all the way down her arm. She froze.

After waking up the way she wanted; happy and slowly and relaxed, in a way that gave her a chance to soak up Vincent next to her, the pressures on arm sent her into panic. Cat bolted up. She spread her arm against her chest so she could examine the wounds.

Her fingers traced her arm. The indents didn't hurt. That was a relief. Did not knowing if she remembered the indents' inception or not count as forgetting? Was it possible Cat blocked out the memory?

Vincent shifted, redirecting Cat's attention and sending more panic through her veins. If she didn't know how she felt about her newest body markings, she was sure Vincent would.

"Damnit," Cat let out. The word was cathartic. It also alerted her to a whole new set of worries. They weighted on her shoulders before Cat could process what they were or meant. Clinging to her naked chest she reached down for her bra and underwear. Her heart sank again when she noticed the short-sleeve shirt on the floor instead of a long-sleeve one. Cat looked back at Vincent and then down at her marred arm.

A long-sleeve shirt was the only option.

The drawers were too far from her bed. Cat never realized their distance before. Was it possible the bathroom was closer? Her gaze measured distances around the room. The effort was wasted when Cat remembered the robe hanging inside the bathroom door. Sprinting across the room, she forgot about Vincent's sensitive hearing.

Vincent woke up alone.

Cat could breath again as soon as the door shut. Once alone, she leaned against the door for support. After stabilizing herself, she approached the mirror. It was worse than she thought. The indents were all over her left arm. The tiny red marks looked like small paper-cuts rather than bites or…

She did remember.

It was a strange feeling when relief and fear are mix together. A tear ran down Cat's cheek. She didn't know if it was from happiness or sadness until uncontrollable laughter burst out.

The indents weren't bites or scratches from Vincent's beast. They were his kisses.

"Catherine?" Vincent called when he heard laughter. Cat jolted up, her focus turning to her robe. "Are you okay?"

Laughter made everything harder to control. Cat had a hard time replying, "Yeah," to Vincent and a hard time reaching for her robe. Once it was tightened around her, Cat opened the door and leapt into bed. "Hi," she perked up.

Vincent half-sat up, leaning towards Cat. "Should I be glad to see you so energized from last night? I was kind of hoping we would be so tired we'd have to spend the whole day in bed."

Cat tilted her head to one side. "You were hoping that, huh? You know Heather will be home soon-"

"Yeah, well, I-" Vincent brought his hand to her hair and played with the strands. "Happen to live in a world where sisters and work don't exist."

"Oh. My. God." Cat moved from him to check the time. "Work." Vincent sighed and dropped his head. Cat reached for him, placing her hand on his shoulder after learning she hadn't slept in too late. She had an hour, rather than her usual hour and a half to get ready. "I have to go."

"Noo…" Vincent tugged on her hand as she slid off the bed. "Don't go. Call in sick today. You never call in sick."

Cat fell back on the edge of the bed. She looked at Vincent. At his long face, begging her to stay. He was right; she never called in sick. As her gaze moved to the floor to make her final decision, it fell to her left arm.

She didn't have a choice.

"That's why Tess and I are the best in the precinct." Cat stretched her neck out for a quick kiss. Vincent met her lips with hunger. Cat let herself enjoy his taste for a moment too long; she felt, moaned and pulled back. "Mmm – speaking of Tess, she is dying to have dinner with you."

Vincent threaded their fingers together. "Does Tess have to come up right now?"

Cat smiled at him. "Well, considering I'm going to see her in an hour and she is dying to pick a date, proof that you are not some sort of flake." She raised her eyebrows, "I'd say yes."

"Okay," Vincent repositioned himself on the bed. "How about tonight?"

"Tonight?" Cat lit up at the idea, but soon faded. "Heather will be home tonight."

"So? Invite Tess to the warehouse."

Cat took her hand back. "What?"

"I'm sure she'll prefer it. She has been there before and proven trustworthy."

"Yeah, but-"

Vincent smiled at Cat's hesitation. "You worry too much." Cat couldn't help but find double meaning to his words. Unconsciously, she looked down at her arm. "Come on, it'll be great."

"Fine." Cat met his gaze. In their stare, they challenged and teased each other. Cat pushed him playfully. "Now you need to leave so I can get ready for work."

"What?" Vincent tucked his chin and raised his eyes at Cat. He reminded her of some movie star trying to make an impression on adoring fans. All he needed were some sunglasses. "I can't watch?"

"No." Cat stood up. She pointed to the window, "Now get up and get out."

Vincent leaned over the bed reaching for his boxers. "Well," He pulled them up and did the same with his jeans. "Way to make a guy feel like a horrible one night stand."

They made eye contact as Cat shook her head. "I love you,"

"Uh-huh," Vincent crawled across the bed, dragging his shirt in tow. He reached for Cat before he stood, almost falling onto her as he tripped over the sheets. Cat sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're just saying that to make up for trying to get rid of me."

"No," Cat pulled back. Her hair flowed against her robe from her retreat. "Never."

"Sure." Vincent bent down to kiss her. Cat was surprised at its short length. "Love you, too."

"Good." They stared at each other for a moment. It was just long enough for memories of last night to surface in both of their minds. Cat backed out of his touch. Vincent made his way through the window. "Bye."

He turned to Cat one last time. He tried to memorize every body curve and every glowing part of skin. Cat brought her hand to her cheek, watching him; her robe moving and exposing different areas of skin…"Bye," he said the word, forcing himself to leave.

Cat tightened her robe after he was gone. She needed a minute before exposing her skin again.

* * *

"Happy first day of spring," Tess leaned towards Cat as she approached her. Using her desk as support, Tess bent her elbow and lowered her chin in her hand. "Usually I wear long sleeves on the first warm day of the year."

Cat plopped in her chair. "My day is never the same without a bowl of Tess' sarcasm in the morning." She swiveled towards her friend. "Thank you."

"Cat," Tess' head put more pressure on her palm. "What's with the long sleeves?"

"I'm cold, okay?" Cat spread her arms out. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"No." Tess sat straighter. "I just wonder about Vincent's temperature when he's not fully – himself."

"You think-" Cat lowered her head and leaned across their desks. Her voice strained the muscles in her neck as she spoke. "You think my clothing choice has something to do with Vincent?"

Tess smiled. "Well, as I am learning, I think most – if it all – of you choices have to do with him."

Still hovered over her desk, Cat strained her neck again. "That's not even close to the truth."

"Right," Tess shifted positions in her desk chair; feeling out its long back support and its arm rests.

"Hey," Cat scooted closer to her friend. "What do you say to dinner with Vincent tonight? We can bring pizzas and beers to the loft."

Tess' face lit up. "Can he drink?"

"No," Cat laughed off Tess' question. "The beers are for us. What do you say?"

"I'm in," Tess smiled. "'bout damn time."

"Good."

Tess' expression faded when she looked up from Cat. "Hey Cat…"

Cat answered quickly, not thinking much about Tess' tone. "Yeah."

"JT's in the doorway." Cat turned around to confirm Tess' statement. "Why isn't he in the morgue?"

Cat's gaze fell on JT and stayed there. She recalled words from yesterday and last night that were spoken between them. Words she wished were still unspoken.

"Excuse me," Cat didn't think about her words to Tess as she stood and made her way to the doorway.

"You know, when Vincent is behind you his presence doesn't need to be announced," JT joked. "You just feel him."

Cat walked deeper into the hallway without acknowledging JT. When she reached a dead end, she finally turned to him. "Seriously, you're comparing yourself to Vincent?"

"No-what?" After his double take, JT closed his eyes and sighed. "I was joking."

"Yeah…" Cat leaned against the wall. When their eyes met, she crossed her arms. "You're better at sarcasm."

JT put his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth from heel to toe. "Obviously."

Watching his awkward actions, Cat's expression softened. "I'm sorry, JT."

He stopped rocking and waved her off. "Water under the bridge."

"No – I really didn't mean to -"

"I know, Catherine." JT's raised voice put an end to the subject.

"Okay." Cat stepped from the wall. Expecting their business to be done, she eyed the door to the prescient.

She couldn't take one step before JT intruded her intended path. "We need to talk."

Cat jolted back, her torso pulling her feet with it. "I thought that's what we were doing."

"Cat, Muirfield took Evan." He announced.

"What?" She gaped at him.

"Last night."

Cat's raised shoulders buried her neck and she crossed her arms. "And you didn't call me?"

"I didn't want to interrupt your night with Vincent," JT defended his actions. Cat rolled her eyes. "And," he somehow made himself taller. "Evan went with them willingly. There's nothing I could do. You know Muirfield, they'll do anything to make it look like it was his choice."

Cat remembered Evan's anger from last night. "What makes you think it wasn't?"

His answer, though on the tip of his tongue, couldn't form sound. When Cat pressed him, JT avoided her gaze and looked into a corner.

"JT." The only part of Cat that moved was her lips. "We've already tested what happens when we are not totally honest with each other. I suggest you start talking."

JT moaned before looking back at Cat. "I overheard two Muirfield agents before I reached you guys. Cat, they're planning on building a case against him."

"Well," Cat stepped forward. "That makes sense."

Turning his body to face hers, JT squinted at Cat. "'That makes sense'? That's your reaction? You can't tell me you don't care-"

"No! I'm telling you I have too much on my plate right now. I can't do anything with that information. All is does is add to my worries and I can't afford to worry about more than I have to right now." Cat had to pause from her rant to take a breath. "You, of all people, should understand that." Her strong statement propelled Cat away from JT, her hair whipping around her as she curved around him.

"I do understand. Cat-" He grabbed her left arm to revolve her back so they were face to face. JT parted his lips to repeat himself, but his words fell silent as he noticed the wince fade from her face.

They both froze.

"Don't-" Cat demanded.

It was as if he didn't hear her. Cat tried to yank her arm away, but soon knew it would be no use. JT was already lifting her sleeve up her arm, his expression reflecting the horror he felt when he saw the marks on her skin.

"He did this to you?" JT continued to gape at her.

Cat shrugged, "It's no big deal. You don't understand." JT dropped her arm and frowned at her. Before walking away from his concern, Cat repeated her demand. "Don't tell him."

* * *

A/N: Here it is - as promised! Thank so much for the positive feedback. I'm so happy to read how much readers loved the chapter and wanted a quick update. Keep it up! _xoxo._


	25. Run Away With My Love

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 25: Run Away With My Love_

"So you're telling me we have to walk a mile to the warehouse?" Tess complained in the passenger seat to Cat. "The pizza will freeze."

"Freeze?" Cat turned off her engine and looked at her friend. She leaned on the steering wheel. "Didn't you greet me this morning elated with the turning of the seasons?"

Tess grabbed a beer case with one hand and the inner door handle with the other. "Spring is known for cooled evenings."

"Is it?" Cat swung her door open. Even though she checked the area three times before parking, she did once more from her feet. She took a single step to the back door, a mouth-watering whiff of the pizza arousing her hunger.

Cat pulled out the two pizzas with on arm. Tess waited and the friends slammed their doors in union, the car wheels threatening to roll from the impact. "Well, look at it this way," the friends met at the trunk and Tess motioned to Cat's shirt, the same one she wore all day. "Vincent won't think anything of your outfit choice now. It's oddly appropriate."

After glaring at Tess, Cat started walking towards her second home. "You're still on that?"

"What are the chances he already saw your outfit choice today?" Tess caught up and matched Cat's pace. "They're high, right?"

"I try not to think about it."

"Really?" Tess glared at her friend, her eyes bulged, saucer-size for a moment before retracting. She then looked straight ahead, murmuring to herself, "That's all I would think about."

Cat turned in Tess' direction, disrupting her pace and leaning on one foot. "What?"

"Nothing." Tess lied and put on a fake smile to cover up whatever doubt Cat had left.

Nodding, Cat continued their walk in silence. She knew her partner well enough to know when she was lying. That was a job requirement. Curiosity tugged at Cat more than anything else, though. What judgments could Tess pass about Vincent under her breath?

For Cat, the warehouse came into sight before she expected it too. The second-story lights highlighted Cat's left arm and she wondered if their heat could make it through her shirt fabric. Tess had an opposite reaction to seeing the building. Men's shouts replicated themselves from memory. She closed her eyes; their darkness was nothing to a black cloth blindfold.

Tess watched Cat slide the warehouse door open with one arm. She wondered how long it took Vincent to fix all the damage from Muirfield's kidnapping, but decided stay silent.

The warehouse walls confined the pizza smell and made it more pronounced. Women's heals tapping was soon drown out by JT opening his creaking office door.

He stood in his doorway and crossed his arms. His position reminded Tess of a grumpy cartoon character she couldn't place. "A pizza should never smell that good."

Tess smirked at him. "Clearly you've been depriving yourself from many of life's greatest pleasures."

An unconscious flinch disrupted JT's frozen stance. "Do I look deprived?"

Tess formed a retort, but choked on her words instead and had to cover her mouth with a hand.

Cat scanned over Tess and shifted her weight. "I did not know you were going to be here." She addressed JT and was sure to keep her tone indifferent.

"Is that a problem?"

JT's question was almost cut off by Cat's short, "No. Of course not."

"Don't worry JT," Tess recovered. "I made sure there was enough pizza for you."

"Oh." JT finally lowered his arms. "I didn't know I was invited."

"That was the whole point," Tess examined him like he was on a different planet. "For me to get to know all of Cat's new family."

Cat blushed. "I didn't know that."

JT moved inside so that the women could pass by. "I guess it was lucky I was here then."

"I guess so." Tess stopped when she was inches from JT. "How else could I survive dinner with the two lovebirds?"

JT held Tess' gaze, surprising both of them. He raised his brow at her and she smiled. "Try solving life-threatening problems with them."

Cat looked behind her. She almost dropped the two pizza boxes when she noticed how close Tess and JT were together. "We are not that bad."

Tess choked back her response again.

"Yes, you are." JT was the first to break contact with Tess. Grabbing the gate key from his back pocket, JT walked passed Cat and gave her his full attention. "Hey," he motioned to her shirt. "At least the loft has a chill. Long sleeves don't seem inappropriate now." Cat parted her lips and followed JT's movements as he edged around her to make his way up the stairs.

Tess interrupted their interaction. "That's exactly what I said."

Ignoring Tess, Cat flew up the stairs only stopping when she slid around JT and reached the step above so she could look down at him. Cat bulged her eyes. JT's only response was to tilt his head and motion to the gate.

Once it was open, Cat flew from it and searched for Vincent.

"Hey," Vincent added a smile to his greeting. He reached for Cat before they were in arms' distance.

Cat found his jacket sleeve first and held onto it. "Hey," she leaned her chin upwards for a kiss. Vincent happily obliged.

"Ew," Tess couldn't help seizing the opportunity. "About to eat here."

JT reached for the beers from Tess and put them on the metal table. They locked gazes again. He edged Tess on by raising one shoulder, "I thought we were ignoring the love birds."

Tess smiled, "Works for me." She said and took a beer from its cardboard case. JT did the same and they clinked bottles.

"You are not ignoring us," Vincent released Cat to grab a water from their beaten down fridge. "We are all going to eat together."

"Yeah," Cat slid the pizza boxes on the table. "Who's hungry?"

"It smells amazing, Catherine." Vincent reached for a plate and took the first slice.

"Yes, Vincent," Tess injected. "Your compliment is well-deserved. She made the pizza herself."

JT almost spit out his beer.

"You know, Tess," Vincent started slowly, rotating in his chair so they were facing. "Insulting me is not a great way to get me to open up for an interview."

"Yeah," JT injected. "You don't want to see what happens when he gets angry," he said to Tess and grabbed a slice for his paper plate.

"Uh," Cat motioned to Tess. "I think she already has."

"I hardly count that as an insult." Tess defended her previous interjection. Rolling her eyes, she continued. "Sensitive. I'll add that to your list of traits." Tess lit up with her new discovery. She bent her elbows, mimicking dancing to the pizza box.

Vincent put out his hand. "I am not sensitive."

Tess watched Cat, rather than Vincent, for her reaction. Out of the corner of Cat's eye, she was sharing a moment with JT. Tess half-raised her arm and parted her lips to point out their discreetness to prove her point, but something warned her against it.

"You are," Cat bent down to Vincent, who was still in his chair, and put her hand on his shoulder. "Hate to break it to you," she teased and patted the shoulder with a smile.

"Honesty." Tess commented on their interaction.

"Coddling," JT added onto Tess' list.

"Hey," Vincent broke from Cat. "I agreed to an interview, not an observation session."

JT started, "But, Vincent-"

"This is so much more fun," Tess finished.

Vincent raised his palms at them and then dropped them to table. "Eating." He picked his slice. Raising it in Tess' direction Vincent said, "You can observe me eat."

Cat laughed along with Tess and JT. Not because she enjoyed making fun of him, though if she was honest that was part of it. The way he spread out his fingers on the table, stressing over a relaxed situation, brought his rare adorableness out.

She sat across for Vincent and waited for him to look up. "I'm not making fun of you."

Vincent challenged her with his gaze, but said nothing.

Tess took a seat at the head of the table, between Cat and Vincent. "She might not be-"

"But we are." JT confirmed to Vincent, sitting next to him.

Vincent nodded, finally conceding to the evening's mood. "Okay, okay…" He smiled to himself when a retort came in his head. He took another bite of pizza.

JT's smile faded. "What?" He addressed his friend seriously.

Without looking at JT, Vincent replied. "You're just jealous."

Taken aback, JT set his slice down and turned to his friend, flaunting his abhorrence. "Of what, exactly?"

"You wish you were this sensitive." Vincent raised an eyebrow at his friend. "It would help you with the ladies."

Tess and Cat broke out in uncontrollable laugher. Vincent joined them with a smile, leaving JT to nod along and reach for beer again.

Spurts of laughter continued and filled the warehouse for the next hour. Taking turns jabbing each other, the table's occupants would mark tonight as the night the trio dissolved to make room for a fourth. Tess smiled inwardly, her secret plan coming into fruition.

* * *

A/N: It's Wednesday, it would feel weird letting it go by without an update. :P! We haven't seen Evan in two chapters and I kind of miss him. So, expect to see more of him next update. Whenever that happens - sort of depends on you and sort of depends on me. _Thanks again, truly, xoxo._


	26. I Know Now

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 26: I Know Now_

Latimer held onto her receptionist disposition while she starred at Evan Marks through the two-way glass. She fought an urge to bring her fingers to her pearls and play with them. Marie Latimer wasn't allowed to be nervous. Maybe, if she didn't need to play the part of the receptionist, she would have no nervousness to fight off. She certainly wouldn't have a string of pearls around her neck, begging to be threaded through her fingers.

Was it just her or did Marks seem so unlike the other men that worked below her? Awkward and unsure, he didn't fit any of the job qualities required of him. Latimer tilted her head as she watched him work. His brow furrowed when he examined a sample in a microscope. It deepened when he tried to match it into the data set.

Of course the set didn't make sense.

She had to give him credit. He was one of the few who noticed the intentional mistake in the data. Details were the difference between life and death; between human and beast. The only way he could change his fate now was if he noticed the details.

At the thought, Latimer grabbed the pearl string around her neck and let her fingertips feel its smoothness. She hated feeling this way. Whatever tug Marks had on her, whatever pity he created in her heart, she had to ignore.

Everyone knew she didn't have a heart.

A door creak fired Latimer's synapses. She smoothed her skirt and crossed her arms just below her breasts, slipping into her commanding position like a fish to water. Latimer was sure to give no indication she was aware of the company joining her in the observation booth.

"Marks set us up." Smithers commented to Cohen. "How can you not see that?" He addressed Cohen like a student and not a partner. Latimer scanned Smithers, surprised to find she had more sympathy for the naive than the boastful.

"It's not that I can't see it. The fact that cross species DNA surrounded the scene where Marks led us to tells me he had good intentions." Cohen spat back. "I'm just saying we need to be absolutely sure before resorting to our last option."

Latimer kept her gaze steady on Marks, who was still contemplating over the data, as she addressed the two buffoons behind her. "It's not our last option, Cohen." She made sure her tone was strongest in the booth. "But Marks choose his own fate when he led us empty. There's no turning back now."

Cohen felt his heart beat faster as he took a step forward and pointed to their newest victim through the glass. "So, we are just going to let him play with fake data and let him pretend he's important?"

Latimer's sharp spin to Cohen filled Smithers' mouth with hair stale with spray. "What else do you suggest?" She entertained her subordinate. "And he's not playing with fake data. There's a chance he could figure out what we did."

"Sure." Cohen fought back. "In a land where fairies and unicorns exist." Latimer refocused on the mirror. Smithers suppressed a cough when her hair dangled from his mouth. He watched Cohen with awe when he challenged their boss again. "You do realize Marks led us to the precise spot where Keller was. We now have his DNA. It wasn't for nothing. Keller just wasn't there by the time we reached Marks."

"Don't defend people who've betrayed you, Cohen." Latimer said. "It makes you weak."

"Right." Cohen wondered how far he could push her. "And we wouldn't want any trace of humanity left in this place." His risky words did not have the outcome Cohen had hoped for. A head turn or a lethal body scan was her usual comeback to his sass. He did not see her flinch. Latimer kept her gaze steady through the glass. "Would we?"

"If you are not careful Cohen," Latimer hugged her crossed arms to her body, hoping they helped her authoritative image rather than signaling how much they held her together. "Your fate might end up like Marks'." She turned on him, letting her hands plummet to her hips. Latimer captured Cohen's attention and the smirk on his face disappeared. When she needed it, her stare could tame even the wildest of beasts.

* * *

JT watched the wind in Central Park blow through Sarah's hair, wafting her perfume in his direction. She smelled like strawberries. Her hand called out to him, begging to be held, the moment he reached for it, however, she turned to him and curved a loose hair strand behind her ear.

"You missed another staff meeting two nights ago." Sarah scanned JT for a third time. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," JT adjusted his glasses as he looked at her. His brain fumbled through excuses for Vincent's precarious behavior. "It's just, you know, if I can avoid Tim, I will," JT lied.

"Okay," Sara put her hands out ahead of her. "I know he's not either of our favorite people, but I don't think avoiding mandatory staff meetings is the right way to deal with him."

JT sighed, "You're probably right. Of course."

Sarah reached for JT, halting their walk. "We could, however, team up and report his behavior to the dean. I think he'd frown upon Tim's borderline dictatorship practices."

"Yes, we could start a whole movement," JT commented sarcastically before resuming their route.

"Well," Sarah stopped him again. "Why not?"

Her cheeks blushed from the cold. They now matched the red color in her knitted rainbow hat. Her shoulders rose and she tilted her head.

Never had JT seen anyone so cute.

JT spun her around to him and leaned in for a kiss. Sarah gasped before meeting his lips, resting her arms on his shoulders. JT switched sides, letting his nose drag along the smoothness of her skin, and captured her lips once more. "Thank you," he said when he pulled back.

"For what?" Sarah asked breathlessly.

"For being a fighter."

Sarah blinked and reached for JT's arm. "You underestimate me, Professor Forbes." The wind moved her bangs across her forehead. "I've always wanted to fight for the oppressed masses. I've just never been given the chance."

* * *

A murder had taken place a mile from where JT and Sarah continued their walk. Tess and Cat's squad car approached from the opposite direction. Its tires screeched to a stop.

"That noise sounds worse by the day," Tess complained. "I don't know why we don't trade it in."

"Because we love our car." When Tess rolled her eyes in response and turned to open the door. "The three of us have been through a lot together." Cat reminded Tess when she caught up with her.

Tess stopped walking and raised her arm to force Cat to do the same. She turned on her friend. "If you are going to start referring to inanimate objects as people, we have a problem." She challenged Cat, raising her brow. "We're not in a Disney film yet; you don't have to like – sing to the car or anything to fix it, do you?"

Cat crossed her arms and waited for Tess' ridiculousness to wear off. While she spoke, a retort came to Cat, which she knew would shut Tess up. "Well, Hank is our favorite squad car. I could always try singing and see if it worked."

Tess bent her knees while she lowered her arm, both her hands constricting into fists. "Now we're naming inanimate objects?" She walked backwards, straining her features. "What are we going to do with you?"

Following Tess up the hill, Cat looked down to make sure not to trip on any loose rocks. When she raised her gaze and saw Tess' unchanged expression, Cat couldn't help smiling.

"Ladies," Joe greeted them. "Let's go. The sooner our crime scene is examined, the sooner we can return to indoor heating."

All small talk, teasing rather, ceased at Joe's command. Their work was laborious. It might have been due to the cold, but it seemed like gathering the necessary information took longer than usual. Cat and Tess made an unspoken agreement to speak to any witnesses separately to save time. When they finished, Tess had a feeling their agreement might have added time instead of reducing it.

"We can't do much more until Evan matches the DNA on the gun and confirms it was the kid everyone talked about." Tess bumped into Cat on their way down the hill. "Buy you a coffee in the meantime."

"You're on, but don't forget one for Hank." Cat suggested, hoping to rouse Tess' lighter side again. Tess showed no signs of hearing her, however. Cat noticed her starring in the distance before reaching for the door handle. She pulled it, only to find it still locked. "It's locked. Tess - " Cat looked up again to find Tess' far off gaze still occupying all her attention. "Tess, what are you -" Cat followed her gaze and recognized the couple across the street, kissing briefly before breaking apart. "Oh."

Even at Cat's comprehension, Tess could not snap out of her frozen position. Cat made fleeting contact with JT before he hurried Sarah along past them.

JT's disappearance around a corner was the only action that broke Tess' trance. Her lips curved upward when she looked over at Cat, but Cat didn't entertain her friend's act.

"That is JT's girlfriend, Sarah." Cat told Tess across the car roof.

Tess blinked twice, still finding her bearings. "I didn't ask."

"Yeah…" Cat said softly, her gaze reaching out to her friend. "Very loudly." Usually, a retort like that would earn a smile from at least one, if not both of them. Now, Tess and Cat kept their downcast expressions. "Sorry."

"What? No." Tess shrugged. She pulled back her hair. "Don't be sorry. Whatever. Let's go."

"Tess?"

"Yeah?"

Cat motioned to the door. "My side's still locked."

"Right..." Tess said. She fumbled with her keys, her hands a little more shaky than usual, to unlock the door. Cat ducked inside at the first chance she could, out of the cold, while Tess' gaze fell on the spot she had first seen JT with Sarah.

* * *

Cat closed her eyes in the shower, soaking up the soothing feeling of warm water streaming down her naked back. She brought her hands up to the showerhead. Forming a cup, she waited for it to fill before splashing the water over her face. She opened her eyes to find her forearms highlighting the marks on her skin.

There were still there.

Sighing, Cat dropped her arms. They hit her thighs with a thump. Whatever high she was riding from solving her case in one day – yes, sometimes it is as simple as the bullet matched the gun and the gun matched the fingerprints – dissolved with the water clinging to her body on its way to the drain. Most days she liked the challenge that came with Vincent. Opening herself to new perspectives was part of what attracted her to Vincent's special circumstances. Now, though, his circumstances made their way into her skin and into her heart. If Cat allowed herself to look at the markings, their meaning would make her insides melt. Permission to look at his markings, to study them and soak them up, was a luxury Cat would not grant herself. Not for her sake, but for Vincent's. How could she appreciate the marks' meaning, Vincent's beast's love, if no one would understand?

_You're not giving anyone a chance to understand._

The tiny voice echoed in her head as the water shut off. Cat shuddered. She did not know if her reflex was due to her physical or psychological stimulants, but right now she didn't have the energy to care.

A knock on her window disrupted her thoughts.

Cat froze mid-dry. Droplets detached from her hair and ran down her back as she held her towel at her knee. Her robe, the one that covered Vincent's beast's kisses the other morning hung on the door.

Hiding in the bathroom or greeting Vincent in her robe. Those were her two options. Cat couldn't think them over. She had to follow her instincts…

Every worry erased from Cat's mind when she saw Vincent through the glass. "Hey," she said as she lifted the window open.

"Hey," Vincent reached for Cat's hips, pulling her closer. Leaning down to kiss her, his hands glided up the robe and tighten around her when their lips met. Cat kissed him back once, twice, before switching sides. Her hands found their way to his cheeks. Vincent was the one who pulled back. "Well, I meant that just as a 'hello' kiss, but that was nice too."

Cat dropped her arms to his shoulders. "Well, I should hope so."

At her playful words, Vincent felt himself leaning in again. He moved further through the windowsill to deepen their kiss.

"My sister's home," Cat whispered between kisses.

Vincent kissed Cat again before standing. Now that he had more leverage, he tightened his hold on her. She was on tiptoe when Vincent broke from her with his answer, "We're not talking."

Cat's robe was teasing him now. He didn't like feeling barriers between them. Vincent continued leading Cat further into her room. He tripped over her when they collided with the bed, forcing them both to fall backwards onto it.

Cat's heartbeat skyrocketed.

Taking it as a good sign, a flattering sign, Vincent pressed forward on top of her. He pulled the robe's collar back to make a kissing trail from her lips to her back.

"No, wait," Cat tried to lift her head to sit up. "Stop."

Their eyes met, Vincent frozen over her, before he released her and sat up. Vincent held her gaze, looking for clues as to what just happened. Maybe he misread her quicken heartbeats. Continuing to beat twice as normal, her heart's excitement and anticipation didn't match the expression on her face.

Cat wiped her palms over her expression and swung her legs gracefully over the bed's edge. She knew Vincent was waiting for an explanation, but all she could fumble out was, "I can't do this right now."

Vincent blinked. "Okay…"

Her forehead broke into creases, her jaw tightened, her gaze went everywhere in the room except for him. "I'm sorry," Cat's voice seemed to break.

"Don't be sorry," Vincent brought a hand to Cat's cheek to steady her. "What's wrong?"

"Heather's home," she said, but knew from Vincent's tilted head that he didn't believe her. Cat stood. Adjusting her robe, she continued her excuses, "And I – I had a really long day and I was just taking a shower to relax and-"

"Catherine," Vincent approached her. "Are you okay?" He asked seriously.

"Yeah." She ran her fingers through her hair. "Yeah…I'm just tired," she lied.

Vincent nodded. "I should let you rest then." He walked towards his window exit. "I didn't mean to interrupt your alone time. We all need that sometimes."

"No, Vincent," Cat followed him. "I'm always glad to see you."

He kissed her cheek before ducking down. When he saw the metal stairs up to the roof, he turned back to Cat. "Are you sure you're okay?" Vincent whispered.

"I'm sure," Cat lied again.

And Vincent knew it.

* * *

A/N: Happy Wednesday!


	27. Just Quite How

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 27: Just Quite How_

The warehouse could be creepy at night. A single candle lit Vincent's upstairs quarters. He leaned his face in his palm, watching the feeble light flicker in and out.

For some reason, watching the candle's movements was peaceful to Vincent. Dangerous and vulnerable at the same time, his subconscious steadied his gaze on the candlelight.

A door creek followed a bellowing echo. Vincent's escape from the outside world set him into panic mood. He blew out the light. The fence rattled and he sat up. Cat's image sparked hope in him.

JT, with his quizzical brow, stepped further into the room. "Is this what you do when I'm not home?" He turned on the overhead lights. "Sit in the dark?"

It took a moment for Vincent to adjust to the hostile brightness above. "It has its draws."

"Huh," JT dropped his bag on the counter and then leaned on it. "What are you trying to escape from?"

Vincent shook his head. "Nothing…"

"Vincent." JT picked up a serious tone. "We can't lie to each other. Too much has happened between us for that to work. I mean, that's why you believed me when I said nothing was going on with Ca-"

JT stopped speaking Cat's name before he saw Vincent's reaction to it. Vincent straightened his posture and refocused his attention to his friend. The subject of Cat had been taboo between them ever since Vincent had run away.

The loft fell to silence.

JT winced. "I mean – not to say -"

Vincent shifted in his chair. "You never said nothing was going on between you and Catherine, JT."

"I didn't think I had to," JT stated strongly then lowered his voice. "And – you know – uh-" he scratched the back of his neck. Then lowered it in defeat. "Do we really have to do this?"

"I don't know," Vincent lowered his forearm on the table. His contradicted fist released. "I don't know, JT."

"Okay, uh," JT didn't want to validate Vincent's insecurities. "I actually just came up here to see if you were home and then something seemed to be bothering you, so I thought I'd ask," he paused, hoping Vincent would answer his implication. "But never mind."

The friends looked at each other, daring the other to speak. JT was the first to back down. He lowered his gaze to the floor and then to the fenced stairway. His feet moved towards the stairs before his mind gave them permission.

Vincent watched JT walk away and sighed. He knew their situation was ridiculous. He knew before his reflex from JT speaking Cat's name betrayed him. "Wait." He called after JT. JT stopped, but did not turn to face Vincent. "We're not in high school. I do trust you. You say nothing happened and I believed you."

JT's back was still facing Vincent when he responded, "Okay…"

"I am sorry, JT."

It took a minute for JT to say, "Thank you."

JT still stood frozen. The behavior felt strange to Vincent. "You still want to go."

"Yes."

Vincent knew his friend well enough to guess what was bothering him. "You don't want to talk about Catherine."

At Vincent's soft observation, JT finally turned around. "No, that's not it." He returned to his position on the counter. "Well, actually, it is." He took a deep breath, "I have to tell you something."

"About Catherine," Vincent nodded. JT watched him, trying to figure out his emotions. Vincent's expression stayed the same, interested but guarded. His arm still rested on their table. "Go on."

"I found – She, uh -" JT stumbled on his words as his heartbeat increased.

"It's okay, JT." Vincent noticed JT's increased heart rate and his own heart sunk. They could always talk to each other. No matter what the situation, JT never hesitated to call Vincent out on something, to tell him something straight without sugarcoating it. "Just talk to me."

"I have to say something you're not going to like."

"Yeah," rolled off Vincent's tongue. "That much is obvious. Just spit it out already."

The image of the marks on Cat's arm filled JT's mind. He focused on it. Then her expression, begging for his secrecy, reappeared. "Vincent, for your safety and for Catherine's, you need to respect my relationship with her. You need to understand that we have to have a relationship, a way communicating, separate from you. Neither of us would ever betray you. I hope you know that."

Vincent took his time digesting JT's words. Even though it was torture for JT to watch, he was grateful. Vincent was going to respond with a rational answer and not an emotional one.

"I do know that," Vincent said when he was ready.

JT let go of the breath he was holding and the stress in his body released with it. "Good."

Vincent tapped the table twice with his index finger. He placed his hands on his thighs, pushing his torso straighter. "You know what Catherine is lying to me about."

JT blinked and Vincent received his answer. Still, JT chose to further his explanation. "She's not lying to you, Vincent." He sighed. "You already know."

"Excuse me?"

"You already know." JT repeated with more confidence. "You can figure it out. Don't expect us to tell you something you are aware of. We both think too highly of you."

"What?"

"Search inside you," JT gestured to Vincent. "I know you'll figure it out."

JT raised his brow to his friend. They shared a moment where Vincent wondered why his anger did not surface at JT's vague answers. Before long, JT turned away to reach for a beer in the fridge. He closed the door with his foot and walked towards the stairway.

"Goodnight, buddy." JT called from across the room. "Don't stress too much. It's not good for you."

"I'll try."

"Well," JT pulled the fence door with his free hand. He looked back at his friend. "That's all we can ask for, isn't?"

* * *

Although spring was fast approaching, midnight still covered Cat's fire escape with an icy frost. Vincent wished he had brought gloves as he made his way down the steps in the darkness. He bent down to check on Cat through the window. He could barely make out her figure in the darkness, but it was there. Vincent sighed before he sat on the steps.

_He already knew?_

As much as Vincent wanted to argue with JT's words, there was something tugging on him…some feeling that told him JT was right. Vincent replayed every interaction they had together over the last couple days, including their night together which he tried to relive many times, and came up empty. Whatever it was that Cat was hiding from him, it was blocked out of his mind.

Vincent went rigid. It was blocked out of his mind. _Out of his mind. _Vincent stood at his discovery. His breathing quickened. His heart thudded. He searched for something to throw, to relieve some adrenaline, but found nothing. With his chest still heaving he turned back to Cat through the window. Only then could Vincent find his thoughts again.

Him. His other side did something to her. Last time Vincent checked his other side had tried to kiss her. His other sided longed for her. Vincent hated himself for not paying enough attention. He was determined not to think about his other side whenever possible. Now he had no choice. Vincent starred at Cat for ten minutes before realizing the only way to know what really happened was to close his eyes and find that place inside him where Vincent and his beast met.

Just like JT had said.

He saw darkness for a moment before popping his eyes back open. Here? Now? Cat shifted positions in her sleep. She was peaceful, happy even. Over the last few days, she had always been happy to see him, to return his affections. How could she do that? Wasn't she the one who ran away when his beast tried to kiss her the first time?

The first time.

He knew.

Vincent could not bring the memories to the forefront of his mind, but he could put the pieces together. It wasn't violent. It wasn't aggressive. He didn't hurt her. That's why nobody told him. That's why Cat was always happy to see him.

For the first time that night, Vincent lightly pulled on Cat's window. After his discovery, he expected it to be locked. It wasn't. The window slid open with ease and the warm air invited him inside. Vincent hesitated. He wanted to think, to figure out what had happened between them, before coming any closer. He couldn't help entering, though. Even her unconscious figure had an affect on him. She drew him inside.

Cat turned in her sleep at the thudding noise Vincent's boots made with the carpet. He winced, but then notice her peaceful features. He tilted his head, mesmerized by her innocence, before grabbing a chair and bringing it to her bedside. He reached his hand over her before pulling it back. He didn't know why he pulled away, but he knew fear of waking Cat had nothing to do with it.

Vincent brought his hands to his face. Once he was enclosed in his own world, he was able to feel his body and to connect to his buried beast:

_She smelled like their woods._

_He was in the middle of smelling her neck when he transformed. Her hair glued itself to his cheek, drenched in sweat. Her hands slide up his bare chest and reached for his cheeks to kiss him._

_She gasped. _

_His yellow eyes met her green ones. He breathed over her. They froze for a minute, her hands still on his cheeks. His held onto her bare shoulders. _

_She blinked and then increased the pressure on his checks, which had lost whatever softness they usually had in order for his more durable skin to emerge. She leaned further into him. He pulled back. "It's okay," she whispered. "I love you." _

_He gave into her then. He met her lips halfway and the connection between them deepened. When their tongues met, she let her hands fall down his back and wrap around him. _

_She gasped again when he broke their kiss. Her touch loosened and rested on his sides. Their gazes collided again. She had that look. The one that made him fall in love with her. She understood him. She was the only one who could understand him. He closed his eyes and lowered his nose to her cheek. He wanted to smell her, to feel her, to taste her. _

_He kissed her. It was the only way he knew to tell her he loved her. She pulled away to look at him. He didn't meet her gaze. Instead, he bowed his head further to make a trail of kisses down her arm. _

"_Vincent," She reached for his cheeks to focus him. He had been kissing her and she pulled him away. She stopped him from giving love to her. They breathed in unison. He jerked his head one way and then the other over her. Her soft touch finally soothed him. Their eyes finally met. "Vincent," she stroked his cheek. "Come back to me." _

Come back to me.

Vincent's eyes snapped open. He was not aware that his heart was beating so fast. Its thudding disrupted any thoughts he tried to form. He stood and started to pace, hoping the action would calm him down. It didn't. He stopped and looked back at Cat's still sleeping figure. When was he going to remember that looking at her always calmed him down?

"_It's okay," she whispered. "I love you."_

Cat's tone was filled with a mixture of empathy and fear. It was a tone she only used with Vincent's beast; never while Vincent was fully himself. Cat wasn't pronouncing her love to Vincent.

He replayed the memory as he starred at Cat's sleeping figure. He repeated every moment in his mind as if he was retracing his steps, trying to find something valuable he had lost. He froze at the moment Cat pulled him back from kissing her arm. When he did, he realized he had forgotten the expression on her face. He had blocked her grimace she had when she brought him back to her.

He had hurt her.

Vincent's head throbbed. Not able to think about his actions, Vincent knelt beside Cat and reached her sleeve. He couldn't help himself from pulling it up and inspecting her skin.

Like he had expected, his beast's kisses, his love, had left marks down her arm.

And Vincent hated himself for it. Cat's lie, her long sleeves, her robe, barely registered to him; he was too busy putting himself in a mental cage and beating the other side of him up. It was a metaphorical fight he was bound to lose.

Vincent tried to find his innocent Catherine he had watched sleeping moments ago. She was gone. Now all he could see was a woman in love with a beast.

And it made Vincent fall in love with her all over again.

It also made him dart out her window and jump off her fire escape, running from a predator he could never escape from.

* * *

A/N: Hey guys, thanks for all your support - including alerts and favorites - they mean so much. I felt like it was really important to keep the focus on our main trio this chapter. The missable Tess and Evan (and Sarah! Thanks for the comments) will be back soon. There were many interesting ways to deal with Vincent's discovery. I felt like the mature way was most in character. I decided prolonging the fallout was better than prolonging the discovery.

Sadly, I will not be posting next week. I am going on vacation - Yay! So, I thought I'd leave you guys with that little cliffhanger. _xoxo.__  
_


	28. My Life and Love Might Still Go On

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 28: My Life And Love Might Still Go On_

Evan wondered if the second hand on the morgue's wall clock had been counting one second for every two. He looked up from the cold body he was examining whenever he heard a crack in the hallway. Dead bodies had nothing on the threat, or hope, of changing mutating DNA.

Muirfield had shared with him their goal of destroying the creature. He remembered hearing the man's proclamation the first time he met with them. The secured room they led him to felt much more like a sanitarium than a conference room. What was the likelihood everything they said and everything he saw was a set up?

Evan dropped his instruments. He looked through the glass door despite knowing no one was there. No one was watching him. No one was coming. Evan could not decide if he would rather be alone or be aware of Muirfield's presence.

The doorknob turned.

"Hello!" JT swung through the door, his shoulder bag whipping around him.

Evan looked up at the noise and felt relief flow over him. On second glance, Evan furrowed his brow at JT. "Why are you so chipper?" Evan asked. He picked up an instrument and started working again. "You're never chipper."

"Well," JT let his bag slip off his shoulders. "You don't actually know me that well, do you?"

Evan thought about JT's words, his own excitement, and the opportunities they presented. "Let's change that." Evan suggested. "What put a bounce in your step?"

"A bounce in my step?" JT turned to Evan and readjusted his glasses as if they had something to do with not hearing him correctly.

"I'd say it's something about a girl," Evan remarked with a smirk. "If I had to guess," he shrugged before returning to his dead body.

If JT knew how wide his mouth was open, that Evan found victory at his surprise, he would have turned his back and pretended not to hear him. As it was, JT could not hide behind research he'd already studied twice and was force to say, "I am partial to a lunch date rather than a dinner one."

"Really?" Evan remarked and was rebuffed by silence.

The second hand ticked. It echoed in Evan's head again, bringing his news to the forefront of his mind once more. He scanned JT's figure, trying to find the right moment or the right way to share his discoveries.

"So," Evan's started loudly. JT looked over his shoulder and waited for Evan to speak again. "I should tell you that Muirfield told me they are planning on destroying Vincent."

JT turned back to his work and replaced his current slide in the microscope with a different one. "Does the surprise you?" He looked through the eyeholes. "They basically told us that when they kidnapped us."

"No, I'm saying, that's what they told me." Evan added somberness to his tone and waited for JT to notice it and turn around. When he did, Evan continued. "They are lying to me."

JT blinked. He crossed his arms and searched Evan's expression. There was a new layer of seriousness there that sparked JT's respect. "And what makes you think that?"

"I've been matching Muirfield's research to my study of Vincent's DNA." Evan put down his tools and tore off his medical gloves. He slid his stool to his desk and pulled a folder out to hand to JT. "Muirfield won't let me take any of their materials, obviously, but I was able to memorize what I could and recreate it."

JT flipped through the loose pages in the folder. They contained DNA models and copies of certain mutated genes. "You need to be careful Evan…" JT's blurted warning surprised him more than Evan.

"I know," Evan shrugged off JT's rare concern and allowed his excitement to take over. "But if you look at their DNA models versus Vincent's, it's clear that they need to keep Vincent alive. They need to track Vincent's mutations so they can perfect the model they already have – not stop him from mutating."

"Again…" JT shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "It shouldn't surprise you that Muirfield doesn't care about Vincent's well being."

"No," Evan shook his head and stepped closer to JT. "You don't get it." JT met Evan's gaze and kept it, not sure how to respond. When he blinked, Evan spoke again. "They want to perfect their model so they can create a more perfect beast."

Something about JT's unchanged expression told Evan his discovery was more serious than he thought.

* * *

Cat watched as road images blurred past her. A cell phone buzz diverted her attention for a moment, but she quickly decided its sender and their message didn't matter. She had just left Tess at the office, she was going to see Vincent, and Heather would call, not text, in an emergency. Figuring out a way to have a tough love conversation with Vincent took up any energy that was not used on driving.

Like usual, Cat parked a mile away. Despite walking quickly, she could not walk fast enough to ignore her obsessive thoughts:

_Is there a reason I haven't seen you in two days?_

_What did I do wrong?_

_What dangerous secret are you protecting me from now?_

_Am I obsessing too much?_

_Or (_And Cat knew Vincent well enough to consider her next question) _what mind games are you playing with yourself to validate your insecurities? _

After the first twenty-four hours, Cat had jumped to her first fear – she knew the marks on her arms would send him running. However, after checking with JT who swore he didn't tell Vincent, Cat moved on to other worries.

Cat made her way past the warehouse door and the gate upstairs absentmindedly. Even the security checks were second nature to her now.

"Catherine," Vincent greeted her at the gate. "Aren't you worried work is going to start docking you every time you leave in the middle of the day?"

"Not when I'm the best detective in the precinct." Cat put her hands in her pockets. "And it's not the middle of the day, Vincent, it's almost four. We solved our case early today."

"Right." Vincent nodded. "Sorry."

Cat waited to speak, letting his apology echo through the warehouse. She raised her shoulders, causing her fingers to rise in her pockets. "What are you sorry for?"

Vincent turned from Cat. She didn't see his hands slam on his thighs, but the noise was loud enough to inform her of his actions.

"Vincent…" She ran through her rehearsed questions, but was unable to give a voice to any of them.

"Catherine. What are you doing here?" He asked, looking at a half-boarded window.

Multiple answers, many bitter, rushed into Cat's head. Her hands constricted into fists. She closed her eyes. Her impulsive reactions, though, were short. When Vincent turned around Cat had a pleasant smile on her face. "I'm here to see my loving boyfriend," Cat's voice matched her expression. "Who I haven't seen in two days."

Vincent's lips upturned but he could not hold their position. Instead he closed the distance between them and kissed her cheek. "Hi," he said.

"Hi," Cat smiled. She reached for him just as he stepped back and pressed her lips to his. Vincent returned her kiss, but not for long, and pulled back causing Cat to trip over her own feet. She caught herself on a chair. "What's wrong?" She blurted. Cat had hoped to start their conversation smoother, but his actions yelled to be addressed. Vincent found the boarded window again. "Why are you pulling away from me?"

He snapped his gaze to hers at the accusation. "You know why I'm pulling away from you."

"No! I don't!" Cat stepped closer so they were an inch apart. "And don't play games with me. We're not like that. We're always honest with each other." She placed her hand on Vincent's arm. "Just tell me what's wrong and we will figure it out."

"'We're always honest with each other'?" Vincent repeated Cat's words with raised eyebrows. "Are you sure you want to say that right now?"

Cat felt the blood flow beneath her bruises. She retracted her hand and stepped back.

The creaky warehouse froze. They dared the other to speak.

Cat broke first. Her heart sunk further with each monosyllabic word. "You know. Don't you?"

Vincent erupted into anger. Cat watched his skin turn colors and stretch against his bone. His eyes turned yellow and starred her down. Vincent forced himself to hover over her and approach her with a robot step like weights were attached to her feet.

Cat stepped back and closed her eyes. Disappointment, rather than fear, kept them shut. She didn't need to see Vincent to know when he was near her. She looked at him and realized his reaction was what she had predicted, better actually. She could see though his violent behavior to his desperation. He picked up a chair and threw out of the way. It wasn't his actions she had a problem with, though. It was his act; his embodiment of anger that tore her apart. "You think I can't tell the difference between you." She opened her eyes to Vincent's. They had returned to his normal color. "You can't act like your other side when you're angry with me. You can't mimic his actions to prove he is a threat to me." Cat's voice broke on her last three words. When she heard it, she released the tears she was holding onto. "Do you know why?" Cat gave Vincent time to answer but he continued hovering over her. "Because you are the one breaking my heart right now," she wiped her tears away. "Not him."

Cat watched Vincent back away. Her feet were stuck to the floor until he looked at her; shame filling his eyes.

"You're right," Cat whispered. She crossed her arms over her jacket. "I don't know what I'm doing here."

Not bothering to look back at Vincent's current pathetic form, Cat left the loft; letting both the gate and the warehouse door slam shut.

* * *

Each end of Tess' ball-point-pen banged her desk as she twiddled it between two fingers. For the third time in the last half-hour, she looked back across the room to the staircase-hallway. It was empty. As if she had x-ray vision, she still focused on the spot, determined to see through the wall straight to the parking lot. His blue car was still there when she had said goodbye to Cat thirty minutes ago. Tess had made a mental note of JT's parked blue car and Evan's empty parking spot before she had returned inside.

JT was in the morgue alone.

Much to the annoyance of her coworkers around her, Tess had switched from twiddling her pen to playing with its top. She popped it in and out. It continued popping as Tess imagined JT working, hunched over whatever data that was important to him. She smiled to herself when her imagined JT looking up at her and adjusted his black-framed glasses.

She couldn't go down there, could she? The only scenario she could think of between them was awkward and stagnant. What could they possibly talk about?

Tess switched back to twiddling her pen. She turned her back to the stairway and tried to focus on her computer screen.

Her focus dwindled and her pen caught on her middle finger. _Screw it_, she thought and pushed herself back from her desk and made her way to the stairs.

"Hey Tess," JT looked up when the morgue door unlatched. "You looking for Evan?"

"No. I – uh - " Tess took a single step into the morgue. "I was looking for you…" Tess' audacious words gave her confidence. "Actually."

Tess watched JT's lips turn to a smile. Her stomach tangled into knots. "Oh…Right." He closed his folder. "I thought you might come to me eventually." He said somberly.

Tess crossed her arms across her chest and walked further into the morgue; her heels clicking on the marble. "Come to you?"

"Yeah…" JT said as he followed Tess' movements. "About Catherine…"

Tess widened her eyes and faked a gasp. "What about her?"

"About what he -" JT started and then abruptly stopped himself. His shoulders dropped. "She hasn't told you…"

Tess' heals clicked in succession until her nose was across from JT's. While she walked, Tess transformed into her detective persona. JT could sense the change in her; suddenly very aware he was in a police station. "Told me what…JT?"

He blinked. Sweat beads formed on his forehead. He readjusted his glasses (Tess' lips unconsciously parted). "Look. Tess. I – uh – thought she talked to you. I-uh-I shouldn't have said anything. I promised Cat I wouldn't."

"Okay, well," Tess started casually. She learned throughout her years as an officer that some people were more likely to share information if they didn't know the seriousness of a situation. She shrugged at him. "You already did. So why don't you share that speech you had already prepared in case I came to you and we'll go from there."

JT shifted his weight. "Wh-what makes you think I prepared a speech?"

Tess smiled and tucked a hair strand behind her ear. "Because you're stuttering. Whatever is going on is making you nervous. If you're that nervous about something and you already were suspicious that I would come talk to you…you would have prepared a speech."

"Huh," JT noted to himself and then looked back at Tess. "You think you know me that well already, do you?"

Tess was sure to keep JT's gaze. Her retort was prepared before he spoke. "You are driven by fear. That's why you're working late, isn't it? Everything you do, you do to protect Vincent or yourself. You thought you needed to come up with some story to keep me away from whatever drama that's going on between the three of you."

Their gazes held until Tess finish speaking, at which point JT broke away to hide his unease. "Nothing gets past you."

"Comes with the job." Tess was glad to have an excuse for her analytic behavior. Which, if she was really being honest, had nothing to do with digging whatever truth she needed out of him. JT looked up at her again and tried to figure out what to say. "So, what are you going to do?" Tess challenged him. "Are you going to waste that speech you prepared or are you going to let someone in and finally allow someone to empathize with you side of the story?"

JT shook his head. Tess kept her demanding position. He slammed his hand on the counter and their eyes met. Without speaking, they reached an understanding and both their expressions softened.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for waiting! I'm back and definitely have more time to write (_I mean it this time)! _Chapter 29 is almost done its just needs a little extra love from its author and her readers. I've also noticed a bunch of new favorites and alerts, those are always fun emails to read - THANKS 8-)


	29. In Your Heart

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 29: In Your Heart_

"Vincent?" JT's yell echoed through the warehouse. "You home?" He climbed the concrete stairs to the metal fence. "Vincent?"

JT squinted through the fence. His usual anxious self would have unlocked it to make sure no one was there. Now, he just knew. They had been living together long enough for him to know if Vincent was home or not.

Sighing, JT grabbed Evan's research from his bag and flipped through it again. There was something about scanning over the data on the stairs, rather than over a desk, that made it less important, less real.

_They want to perfect their model so they can create a more perfect beast._

Part of him knew, JT thought, he had to have known. He remembered theorizing that with Vincent years ago. As much as JT tried to convince himself it was just Evan's news that bothered him, there was something else to it, something else underneath it that he couldn't quite place…

The office door creaked. JT slammed Evan's research shut.

"Hey." Vincent froze in the doorway.

JT focused on the steps as he made his way down them. "Hey…"

Vincent watched his friend take the steps two at a time. "You were just hanging out on the stairs?"

"Good a place as any," JT shrugged. He lost the bounce in his step as he made his way to his desk. "Were you out tracking Evan?"

"Yeah." Vincent stepped further into the room. "He went to Muirfield after work and left two hours later."

JT brought his hands to his face and washed them over it. "Okay…" He murmured. "Thanks. That's helpful."

"Is it?" Vincent challenged. JT dropped his hands to look at Vincent. Vincent met his gaze before refocusing it on the folder beside JT. "What's that?"

JT grabbed the folder tightly and reached it out between them. "Evan found it, actually. I was just going through it again."

"Evan gave this to you?" Vincent asked and took the folder.

"Yeah, but I think Muirfield gave it to him, so it's hard to know if any of it is real or just a test they're putting him through." JT pushed himself up onto his desk.

Vincent's forehead crinkle increased as he scanned each page. He turned the pages like they were part of some ancient leather-bound book. "Is this Muirfield's research or Evan's?"

"I think it is all the same now to be honest." JT shared somberly. "Why?"

Vincent closed the folder and threw it on the desk. "The fact that Muirfield has my DNA isn't freaking you out because?"

"Oh," JT followed the folder as it flew to his desk, some of its papers making a fan at the force of the landing. "Um." He tried to put his thoughts together. "I thought we – you – knew that. Uh – Evan is sharing his research with Muirfield -" The outrage on Vincent's face halted JT's speech. "So that he can have access to Muirfield's research and resources – I thought you knew this, Vincent. Besides, it doesn't matter-"

Vincent crossed his arms and stepped forward. "It doesn't matter?"

"No," JT paid attention to his volume, making sure to keep it in check. "Because they would have it now anyway since Evan led them to where you were in the park." Vincent shook his head and let out a rude chuckle. "This way they trust Evan and share their information with him. It's a good thing, Vincent."

"Remind me again why we have to put Evan at risk so that we know how Muirfield is tracking my mutations."

"Because," JT started, but paused to sigh. "If they are tracking your mutations, they can find your weakness." He waited for Vincent to respond. "You know this."

"I'm pretty sure they can find it without Evan's help, JT." Vincent leaned on the desk. "You know that too."

"Vincent, we've waited ten years to have the upper hand with Muirfield. Now we finally do and you want to play it safe?" JT pointed to himself. "That's my thing, remember?"

Vincent turned more serious. He put pressure on the desk, straightening his elbows and bowing his head. The silence seemed to build a divider between them. Starring at the wall opposite him, Vincent spoke out. "Whatever they do to Evan will kill Catherine." He turned to JT and whispered. "Did you think about that?"

"Catherine knows, Vincent." JT whispered back. "She knows Evan is working for Muirfield." He paused to let his words sink in. "She hasn't done anything about it. From what I can tell, she's just too overwhelmed to deal with -"

"And that's my fault!" Vincent stood and faced JT. "My relationship with Catherine -" He raised his palm between them. "No, wait. My other side, the one that's," Vincent increased his volume, making JT flinch. "Biting her! That side of our relationship is overwhelming Catherine and blinding her to the other relationships in her life."

JT's eyelids slid down. Once in darkness, he could feel his pride swell up for his friend. Despite Vincent's yelling, which was spinning out of control, JT replayed his own advice from yesterday in his head. Vincent listened to him. JT smiled triumphantly, not for himself, but for Vincent.

"What! What?" Vincent demanded. "Why are you smiling?"

"You did it…"

Vincent's eyes went into slits. "Did what?"

"You were able to connect with yourself, all of yourself, to find out what happened. That's amazing." JT couldn't stop smiling. "You just took your first step to controlling your other side."

"And what?" Vincent deepened his voice. JT wondered if a roar would emerge soon. "You kept the truth from me so I could figure it out on my own?"

JT's smile slowly faded. He placed his hands in his lap. "Aren't you glad you did?"

"No!" Vincent's fear of transforming during their conversation kept him from looking at his friend. "You used me." Vincent tried to whisper. "You both used me to prove a point at Catherine's expense." Vincent's blood pumped through his veins. He felt heat behind his eyes and knew they were glowing.

JT looked into the yellow of his eyes, watching them change colors before turning away. His gaze fell on the tranquilizer gun in the corner. A gut feeling told him he didn't need to use it. "That's what Tess said…" JT murmured to himself.

Psychological shock, rather than physical, erased any trace of Vincent's beast from him. "Tess?" Vincent repeated. "What does Tess have to do with this?" Vincent gave JT room to answer him. When he didn't, Vincent gave voice to his assumptions. "Did Catherine tell Tess what happened?" Vincent thought he would hate the idea, but as he said the words, he took comfort that she had a friend to support her.

"No." JT admitted. "I did."

Even though JT knew his confession was likely to set Vincent off again, he thought keeping secrets was worse. Tess' image popped in JT's head and he realized he had been secretly looking for a way to bring her up. He froze. He recalled Tess' fading smile as he told her his concern for both Catherine and Vincent; her face filling with empathy for him, JT, when he asked her what to do, were not images he knew his subconscious was keeping from him. He could replay her expressions on a loop.

Vincent towered over JT's sitting figure. "Why would you do that?" His booming voice ricochet off the cement walls.

JT stood. "Tess is on our team! She's Catherine's best friend. She can help Cat in a way neither of us can. If you really cared about Catherine, you would understand that."

Vincent remembered his recent wish that Catherine had a supportive friend. "I do." He calmed his towering posture. "I do understand…I just…I don't understand why that has something to do with you."

JT looked away. Again, Tess' understanding expression floated through his mind. "I have opinions and emotions too, Vincent…It's nice to talk to a third party. I can't talk to Sarah about this stuff, so when Tess asked me – I don't know – I felt like it was the right thing to do." _Maybe not for you,_ JT added in his head, _but it was the right thing for me…and maybe even for Cat._

"Why do you feel like you can't talk to Sarah?" Vincent asked gently. "I've never had a problem with it and it's not fair to her."

JT stood straighter at Vincent's inquiry. "Because I can't." JT stated forcefully.

"But how are you - "

Suddenly, the warehouse walls felt like they were pushing in on them. JT reached for his keys in his pocket. Anywhere would have more breathing room than here. "I'm not, Vincent." JT admitted to himself for the first time.

Vincent's eyes bulged. "You're not what?" He challenged him. JT took a step towards the office door. "Going to tell Sarah? Ever? I thought you told me she was up for it."

Pulling his keys from his pocket, JT motioned to door. "I have to go. I promised Sarah I'd meet her after her class."

"So you're just going to drag her along?" Vincent filled in the blanks. "That's not the JT I know."

"I'm choosing to protect her," JT defended his choice.

"You are choosing to be a coward." Vincent argued back.

JT nodded. He would rather be called that, something he was known for, than Vincent know his true feelings on the matter. He gripped the door handle. "Yes, and isn't that," he emphasized the word, "the JT you know?" He spat at Vincent before slamming the door behind him.

* * *

Tess zipped her winter jacket up as she rounded Cat's street corner. Her brisk pace did not keep JT's story from replaying in her head; each time it did, more worry rattled through her bones.

Tess was sure she was misunderstanding something. No matter how many times or how many different ways JT explained Vincent's actions, or his "beast's," there was still something she did not understand. Despite what JT told her happened to Cat's arm, Tess wanted to see the fairytale in it. She wanted to believe Cat, much like her own childhood heroine Belle, could tame Vincent's beast. She recalled the first time she saw them together. Did she just imagine Cat calming him down through the gate? The second time, when they were kidnapped, he broke away before she had chance to calm him. Is that what happened with her arm? He didn't give her the chance to calm him down, to protect herself?

What if Cat couldn't tame Vincent's beast every time they were together? What if the first time she saw their interaction, the love between them that protected her friend, was an anomaly? Well then, Tess concluded, she would have to give up the fairytale to bring her friend back to reality.

A shattering noise broke Tess' concentration. She looked up to the roof for the source, but saw nothing. She shook whatever feeling she had off and focused on the busy street that separated her from Cat's apartment building. Halfway across it, a loud roar caused Tess to forget there were cars on either side of her.

Tess didn't need her police disposition to know the events that had transpired on the roof. She knew Vincent's roar. "CATHERINE!" Tess yelled for her life. "CAT-" She started, but a car had just sped by her, blowing her hair back and her feet to roll heal-to-toe as she tried to catch her balance. Several honks followed, which Tess rolled her eyes at, until traffic cleared long enough for her to pass.

The apartment double doors appeared before her. Tess planned to go through them. She stopped. She blinked. No. Her head turned before she processed her next move. She ran and leaped and pulled down the lowest part of the apartment's fire escape stairway.

Two flights of stairs up, Tess started to yell again. "CATHERINE!" _I swear to God, if he hurts her before I get there_, she thought, taking the steps two at a time. "CATHERINE!"

A window slid open. "What?" Cat poked her head out. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Cat looked down to see Tess climbing for her life. "What are you doing?"

It took twenty more seconds for Tess to reach Cat. Out of breath, Tess couldn't do anything but stretch her arms through the window and around Cat.

The window molding dug into Cat's side as Tess pulled her tighter and tighter. Cat's face went lopsided when Tess slammed her cheek into hers.

"Um," Cat felt as though her mouth was full of food when she talked. "Letmeguess…" Tess finally released some of the force she had on her friend. She pulled back just enough to place her hands on Cat's cheeks. Able to speak clearly, Cat continued, "You thought I was dead or something."

Tess briefly laughed off Cat's comment before turning serious again. "It's not funny."

Cat's confused crinkles disappeared. Tess noticed her friend's concerned when her skin smoothed and her expression softened. Cat brought her hand to Tess' shoulder. "What happened," she whispered. "Or," She tilted her and then straightened it. "What did you think happened?"

"He's - " Short breaths still disrupted Tess' speech. "He's – here -" Tess knew she would regret the words. Somehow at the relief of finding Cat safe in her room, Tess created a situation where a happy ending still could happen. She knew she was crazy for wanting Cat to save Vincent's beast, but still she said, "He's on the roof."

"Who?" Cat let go of Tess. "Vincent?"

Tess' silence confirmed her questions.

Thanks to Tess' forceful tug, Cat's neck was already outstretched so all she had to do was turn it to see the roof's edge above. Of course, an edge didn't help much. Cat did everything she could, including giving Tess a light push out of the way, to escape from her room and take the first step that would bring her to Vincent.

"Wait." Tess commanded. She stepped between Cat and the stairs. "Stop."

Cat tried to push through. "Excuse me?"

"Look," Tess fought back. "I wanted you to go up there and save the beast -"

"He's not the beast, Tess!" Cat yelled as she struggled for a way up. "We're not in a fairytale."

"Exactly!" Tess' agreement ended the fight in both of them. "Exactly," she whispered. "We're not in a fairytale. You don't have magical healing powers by true love. The last time you interacted with his other side he bit you!"

Cat froze. She connected dots between Tess' words. "I'm going to kill JT."

"No, you're not." Tess ordered. "And you're not going up there, either." Tess saw Cat's open mouth, but didn't give her a chance to protest. "You need someone to protect you if you're not going to protect yourself. That's what partners do."

"Tess," Cat begged. "You don't understand. JT doesn't either. Please," Cat cried and looked to the roof again. "I can explain how we are actually in a fairytale-" Cat stopped abruptly and Tess gaped at her; this was the first time Cat had gone along with Tess' imagination. "I can, but you have to let me through."

Tess shook her head and held her stance. "I can't do that."

Her protest hung between them until a cry roared from the roof once more.

* * *

A/N: Wow - So many silent readers spoke up last chapter :). Thanks for the love! Here's Chapter 29, early as promised. See you guys Wednesday!


	30. In Your Mind

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 30: In Your Mind_

_ -Ten Minutes Earlier-_

New York rooftops had nothing on its streets. Walking beside people had nothing on leaping above them. Tonight, the year's first warm night, was perfect for Vincent's favorite activity. It gave him time away; time to think, time to be.

Vincent was not surprised to discover each leap had brought him closer to Catherine. The first time he stopped when he landed on a building's roof adjacent to hers. He looked above and then to the streets below, proving that the higher you were the more magnificent the view.

Starlight beamed into the corner of his eye and he turned in its direction. The stars were brighter over Cat's apartment than anywhere else in the sky. Vincent blinked. It was impossible, of course. Especially in New York City, where one was lucky if they noticed one star's feeble flicker in the night sky, much less a clump of them.

A breeze ran through Vincent's hair and tugged some of its stands to the opposite side. The breeze was filled with Cat's perfume. Vincent inhaled it. Her actual apartment was hundreds of yards away. Though he had good sense of smell, Vincent began to wonder if the breeze had something in common with the stars – all together not impossible to hold her smell or shine that bright, but their silent message was hard to ignore.

For the second time that day, Vincent's emotion reaction surprised him. Joy swelled up in him. Despite his continuous anger at Cat and JT (actually at himself), the night somehow quieted his anxieties. The stars guided his feet. His feet brought him to Catherine. Catherine's perfume wouldn't allow him to leave…

He turned his back to all of it.

_Screw fate. Screw destiny. I am a doctor. Doctors don't believe in those types of things. _

_You were a doctor. _Vincent reminded himself. _You're not a doctor now_.

Unable to analyze any longer, Vincent scoffed at his thoughts. The gap between the buildings separating him and Catherine was calling to him. He missed her; that was the reason the stars seemed brighter and the breeze smelled sweeter. That's the only way these elements had more intense qualities. Vincent nodded, satisfied, before leaping off the edge.

The problem with destiny is it always has a different path for us than we expect. Vincent was probably right to assume he would have a safe, normal landing on Cat's roof. He had done it countless times before. But just like the stars and the perfume, an iron spike from construction completed earlier in the day, lay point-up in exactly the same spot where Vincent's foot chose to land.

The roar came out on impact. The transformation soon followed.

Vincent's beast struggled against the spike. He tried to steady his claw enough to reach down and pull it out. It was no use. He fumbled around the roof, hopping from one pole to the next for support. The last pole he reached was not a pole at all. It was one of those wooden canopies, one that was covered in little fairy lights, used to transform the cold rooftop into someplace welcoming and magical.

Once he grabbed the wood, however, the whole structure collapsed on top of him. Wooden pieces snapped in half. Dust made it impossible to see. Light strings clung to his limbs and tangled around them. He wasted energy fighting through the pile. When he finally surrendered, his head dropped to the cement and a whimper left his lips. Every element around him magnify at his surrender.

Stars burned brighter. Perfume smelled sweeter.

Only after his transformation did Vincent's beast realize the stars and the perfume were meant for him. Not for his counterpart.

He roared again.

* * *

"Marks copied our DNA model?" Latimer paced inside Muirfield's underground labs; her heals clicking, and then echoing, on the cement. "He has our model, etched in his little photographic memory." She outstretched her index finger towards Cohen. "You knew this and you didn't take control. You didn't follow him?"

Cohen sucked in the little belly he had in an attempt to stand straighter. He had reasons, not excuses, for failing his boss. Five direct points were listed in his head. Cohen could see each written out by chalk on a chalkboard. "I-" And yet, whenever he tried to speak, some conscious, some self-destructive part of him, refused to let his reasons flow out of him. "You never said to follow him," was all he could mange.

Heals stopped clicking. Echoes faded.

Cohen waited for pearls to clink together. Silence greeted him. Silence was worse.

Heal-toe. Heal-toe. Two steps closer were Latimer needed to communicate.

"Yes." Cohen winced. "It – It is true." He looked down to the grey cement floor. Latimer raised a fist to his face just to slow her motion when she drew out her finger and brought to Cohen's chin, lifting it to eye level. "I recently learned he had photographic memory and our DNA model was the last information he studied. I filed that he should be followed yesterday." his voice found strength and speed at the same time. "But I did not know you expected me to follow him. You never asked -"

Latimer slapped him, hard, across the face.

"You find him, Cohen." Latimer's forehead was in danger of touching her prey. "You find him. Or," Their eyes locked. "I swear to you Marks is not the only one I'll turn into a beast."

* * *

Vincent's roar sent reverberated through Cat's skin. Everything else disappeared once it had connected with her bones. Her suppressed fight, the one she was holding in for Tess' benefit, took over her. A force greater than herself was pulling her up the stairs. Cat wasn't responsible for her actions anymore. She wasn't responsible for shoving Tess out of the way or for her own safety as she grabbed the railing and pushed herself onto the second step…

"No." Tess grabbed her arm and whipped Cat around to face her. " Wait. Just wait a moment." Her words raced out of her mouth. "I know I can't control you. I'd be a fool to try. All I'm asking for fifteen seconds."

Cat's forehead crinkled. Her eyebrows furrowed. "Fifteen seconds?"

Tess ignored her. She was too busy trying to find a specific contact on her phone to pay attention to her friend.

Cat rolled her eyes at Tess' actions. "You know he can't answer his phone when he's like that."

"Shut up." Tess snapped impatiently and put the phone to her ear.

"Ten seconds."

The phone's other end clicked. Cat lost her count when she heard the voice pick up. "Tess?" JT asked, concern already in his voice. "What happened?"

Cat's mind exploded at Tess' betrayal. She couldn't hear Tess' explanation to JT. All she could comprehend was her mouth moving. She blocked out that image as well, turning away the first chance she could. A thousand thoughts and feeling rushed into her conscious and she couldn't comprehend any of them. The tug on her, her instinct she had suppressed for her friend, led her up the stairs. By the time Tess looked up to check on her friend, Cat was too far up the stairs for Tess to stop her.

The roof was empty.

A panic attack threatened to immobilize Cat. She knew Vincent was here. Something pulled her up here, told her to fight against her friend. Nothing else, nobody else, could do that but him. He had that power over her just like she did with him. They were like magnets; if they were in range with one another, some force would always pull them together.

"Vincent!" Cat cried.

There was some movement, somewhere, on the roof. A light blinked and Cat turned in its direction, but it quickly burned out.

"I'm here and you're here. It's okay." Cat kept her tone soft. Usually, she adjusted it on instinct when she addressed Vincent's beast. Now, her words to Tess echoed in her head. _I can explain how we are actually in a fairytale. _Suddenly she was aware of her unguarded stance, her innocent approach, and her complete faith that everything would be okay.

She was the beauty. He was the beast.

"Vincent." She whispered. "It's okay. I know you are here."

A whimper led her around the stairway's structure in the middle of the roof. Cat halted when she saw him.

Laid out on the cement, trapped by fairy lights and wood debris, Vincent's beast struggled to turn in her direction.

After all the scenarios Cat had run through her head; Muirfield or Evan or Heather or a bullet, she couldn't help but giggle at the image before her.

Cat crossed her arms and smiled smugly. "Well, what do we have here? I guess Tess has competition for her Lumiere costume." She laughed again.

Another whimper from Vincent's beast told Cat now was no time for jokes. She lost her attitude and smiles the moment she heard it and kneeled beside him. Desperately, she shoved wood pieces aside. Cat placed her palm on his chest. "Vincent," she started breathlessly. "What's wrong?"

He still could not speak. He tried once, twice, three times before he could lift his head. Instinct told him she would follow his gaze and see the spike through his shoe.

"Oh, my, god." Cat cried out. She looked between Vincent's face and the spike, trying to figure out how best to help. "Vincent," She brought her palm to his cheek. "Tell me what to do, just tell me-"

Vincent's beast lifted his head again and reached his claw towards the spike. He made a noise, and lifted his foot the best he could. Cat gasped in understanding. Her hand left his cheek before his beast was ready for the cold air that replaced it. Despite the pain he was in, the comfort of her touch was soothed him.

Cat had enough training as cop to be prepared mentally and physically for this moment. She had enough strength to pull the spike through his foot and out of his shoe. However, when Cat had done what she thought was required and looked down to find his foot still injured, she fell apart.

Claws made it difficult for Vincent's beast to comfort the woman he loved. He tried everything he could; placing his wrist on her thigh, her shoulder, until settling it around her waist. Her back's curve was a perfect spot. It gave enough of an angle for his wrist to lean upon without his claws digging in.

The next step in calming her down, Vincent's beast knew, was to make eye contact with her. It was harder than he wished. Without having fingers to steady her gaze or speech to ask her to look, capturing her attention took longer than it normally did.

Once he had it though, he wouldn't let it go. He watched a tear fall down her cheek and curved his head around it. His movement drew them closer together. Her hands went back to his cheeks. They felt like water on a summer's day. She still moved closer to him. Her tears touched his cheeks and he pulled back.

"It's okay," she whispered. Her thumb moved across his stretched-out, grayish skin. "You're okay." She promised before leaning in further and capturing his swelled-up lips with hers.

When their lips pressed together feeling came back to his foot again. He could feel his skin stretching over the spike's hole and healing itself. Once he was healed completely, Vincent broke through his beast. He kissed Cat even stronger, bringing his hands from her hips to her neck and running them through her hair.

Cat broke away from him when she felt him move. She blinked to recognize the being across from her. "Oh," was the first word she spoke to Vincent. "Hi."

Vincent's grin stretched across his face. Cat was covered in woodchips and tangled up in fairy lights. He had never seen anyone so cute. Strands of hair caught between his fingers and he enjoyed brushing them out. She smiled at him and Vincent responded, "Hi."

Her smile grew as she leaned in again. Vincent met her lips with a passion and pulled Cat into his lap.

They stayed there. Letting the fairy lights tangled them up and the real stars shine on them until they didn't know which was which.

Most importantly, they didn't care.

* * *

JT had told Tess it was fine. It was a safe situation. That Cat, her friend, was in good hands. The sound of Cat laughing at Vincent's tangled position replayed in Tess' head all the way to the warehouse.

It was not fine.

Tess pulled up against the fence and slide down the hole in it that was just large enough for a single woman. She sprinted across the junkyard and yanked the warehouse's sliding door open.

"JT!" She yelled the moment she was inside. Alarms went off at her forced entry causing her to scream even louder. "I swear to God if you're not here!" She ran through the first story. "JT!"

"Tess!" JT burst through his office door and reached for the security system next to it. Even though the obnoxious noise had ceased, JT kept his booming voice. "You can't come crashing in here. There is a protocol that we talked to you about." Another panicking thought rushed through him. "Where did you park your car?"

Tess slowed to a walk and continued towards JT. "I just had multiple heart attacks worried for my best friend's life and it is entirely your fault!"

JT adjusted his glasses. "If you had multiple heart attacks you'd be dead."

"JT!"

He took a step towards her. "What! What happened? I don't know why you are freaking out, but I guarantee you," He emphasized his next words. "It is not my fault."

"Yes it is! You are the one who put worry into my head. I was perfectly fine believing Cat had these magically healing powers and that true love conquered all," Tess flailed her arms around while she shared her story. "And all that shit. Until you," she pointed at JT. "Assumed I would come to you looking for answers."

JT crossed his arms. "You asked me to tell you. Begged me actual-"

"I did not come down there for answers, genius-boy. I did not ask for an extra weight to be put on my shoulders. I did not want you to ruin the fairytale for me. You did that," Tess cried. "And now every time Cat says she's okay I have to question her. That is your fault. You got inside my head!"

"Tess…" JT warned, concern finally filling his voice the way Tess had expected.

"I came down there to talk to you!" Tess' secrets spilled out. "I wanted to get to know you, to laugh with you-" She stopped, suddenly aware of what she was saying. She met JT's gaze for a moment. She blushed while his jaw hung out. "But no! You have to go ruin everything. You ruined them. You ruined us-"

JT froze. Tess wished she had a cocoon to roll up in or a blanket to hide under.

"I didn't mean to, Tess." JT argued back. "And that's definitely not how I felt when you asked me to open up to you."

Tess lost her fight with JT's declaration. When they looked at each other again, anger was the last thing that flowed through either of their veins.

* * *

Cohen wondered why Marks would drive here, of all places, and sit in his car for an hour. He took his binoculars out and watched him from a rooftop. Cohen felt freer here, above Brooklyn's streets than trying to blend in down below.

Why did Marks park here? Especially when that old abandoned warehouse down the block was all he had to look at.

Cohen didn't have the answers. He knew that. However, he was determined to stay on the rooftop until he did.

* * *

A/N: I keep hearing from new readers, its such a treat. Thanks to Azucar and Anon. Keep up the love and I hope to see you guys this weekend. Five chapters left! Ahhh...


	31. I'll Stay With You

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 31: I'll Stay With You_

Wheels slowed on gravel when Evan lifted his foot off the gas and rolled pass JT's address. An abandon warehouse, one that dominated its surroundings and presented itself in such a way that a 'keep out' sign would have been the only hospitable attribute on the property, was not what Evan expected to find when he decided to start some investigating on his own.

Evan tried to imagine JT living here. JT's quirky smile and awkward mannerisms didn't fit in a place this grandiose. There was a little kid in JT, at least that's how Evan saw him, one that tried to put on a tough act, but would go hide under covers the second it was safe to do so. What was he doing living here? The warehouse, his registered home address, had more in common with a prison than a home any sane person would live in.

_Screech! _He slammed on the breaks. The force backwards had more to do with memories flying into his head and dots connecting than with the car's actual impact. JT did not live here alone. The warehouse played home to Vincent, the beast, as well as his protector JT Forbes.

During their kidnapping, JT had named the creature first. JT had outrageously laughed at Muirfield. There was also quality about him that night; a comfortableness with their kidnappers which, the more Evan remembered, the more a part a JT's routine it seemed. JT was ready for every comment, every accusation, with a comeback of his own.

Headlights rounded the corner and glared in Evan's rearview mirror, making him jump. His nerves fired as he straightened his posture and reached for the ignition. Instinct, more than anything, told Evan he did not want to be found, he did not want to led anyone here, across the street from JT's registered address.

Evan looked over his shoulder and he drove his car back to the center of his lane. The headlights had disappeared.

He searched around him for the headlights' source, but came up empty. Perhaps Evan's sudden reminder that he was alone was what caused his memory to recall JT warning.

Evan remembered asking him. _"How do I know you're not still using me to further your own interests?" _

"_You don't."_ JT responded simply.

Evan couldn't breathe. A panic attack was approaching. He started grasping for air before it begun. His heart raced so hard that he could hear it, feel it, beating inside his own head. He shouldn't be driving. Evan's grip trembled on the steering wheel as he directed it to a parking space parallel to Brooklyn's side streets. He turned the engine off and fell backwards against his headrest. JT warning played on loop until he understood its relevance to his current situation:

It didn't matter if he couldn't see the headlights anymore. Evan knew he was being watched.

* * *

Shoulders heaved. Inhales and exhales were far too close together. JT realized his loss of breath as he waited for Tess' response. He had never seen her speechless before. He wondered if someone had that effect on her often. Scanning over her again, JT noticed frustration still lingered in her even though her fight died out several moments ago.

Tess was not left speechless by anyone.

JT's breath caught. Gazes couldn't focus on a single spot. Up, down, around, and sideways they went, both searching for something in the other, never daring to make direct contact.

"I never meant to, Tess," JT whispered through the silence. "I never wanted to ruin anything."

Their eyes finally locked. Whatever breaths they had recovered were lost. Tess and JT heaved in unison, starring each other down.

Her arms outstretched before they knew their destination. They found JT's shoulders without Tess' conscious thought. Lips met instantly.

One kiss. A second. Their third kiss sealed whatever space was left between them. JT flapped his wrists twice at his sides before extending them around Tess. He moaned. She leaned in further. JT tightened his grip around her and deepened their kiss. Tess raised her hands and slowly ran her fingers through his hair.

The more they gripped each other, the more they turned on the spot. When they had completed a full circle and JT faced his office, he began to push Tess backwards.

Items thudded on the desk when Tess backed into it. She groaned at the contact. JT responded by lifting her onto the desk so that his angle to her tall figure would be more comfortable. Tess wrapped her legs around him and deepened their kiss.

"No, wait." JT protested. Tess kissed him again. "No, stop."

She released her legs. Her heals banged on the desk. "What?" Tess asked between light kisses. "You have to control things all the time?" She leaned in once more but JT pushed her back. "Can't handle a little spontaneity?"

JT shifted his weight at Tess' jab. His shield, the same one that protected from Vincent's name-calling hours ago, went up between them. "You can't live in secret, having powerful people after you and your best friend and not be able to handle spontaneity." His defensive tone was replaced with a sarcastic one. "I'm all for spontaneity. I live for it. I thrive off -"

Tess tucked her chin and pulled her arms back just enough so her thumbs brushed against his neck hairs. "JT." She warned.

For the first time, the eyes were level with each other. JT noticed his glasses were further down his nose than normal but he wouldn't dare to adjust them now, not with his hands running up and down Tess' thighs.

Tess shook her head and smiled. "You think too much, Forbes." She said before meeting his lips again.

"Mm-mmm," JT protested and patted Tess' thighs before pushing her away. He adjusted his glasses. "You're right I do." He sped up his pace. "And that is one my many faults. Faults you have just begun to skim the surface of-"

Tess leaned in once more. Though he had every intension of pulling back, stepping away, and standing his ground, he couldn't resist her. Soon, JT's arms were around the small of Tess' back. They swayed into each other; Tess lifted her right leg and curved it around him before her left one followed. The longer they kissed, the deeper each kiss grew, the more of her spark started to reignite. The same spark that wanted Vincent and Catherine together, the same one that made her believe in true love and fate and fairytales…

JT grabbed both her arms and forced her back. Tess jolted at his abrupt touch and it took her a moment to find her bearings again. She blinked and found JT looking at her with a somber expression.

"I do think too much," he started again. When he stepped back, Tess connected his actions with his expression and her heart dropped. "But I have a girlfriend and I can't-"

Tess was numb after JT stepped back. She was deaf after his 'girlfriend' mention. She was blind to anything except those pictures in her head, ones of crumbling castles and unhappy endings and unfaithful kisses.

Despite her senses failing her, she somehow managed to run away. Tess regained conscious thought halfway between JT's office and the warehouse's oversized sliding door. Her only hope now was that the sound of her heals clicking would drown out the sound of her wails. She forced herself outside and let the night air engulf her.

"Right now," JT finished his abandoned sentence. "I can't do this right now."

His head dropped. His eyelids drifted over him. He sighed. Tess' spot on his desk called to him. He stared at it before turning towards the moonlight creeping into the sliding door opening. Usually the moonbeam signaling an unclosed door would send JT into a panic. Now, it just reminded him of her.

* * *

Vincent adjusted his position around Cat. He sat up further and leaned into her. Cat fell into him. Her arms around his neck kept her from falling backwards onto the cement. Their tongues met. Cat ran her hand through Vincent's hair and grabbed a fairy light string. She held on to it, letting the string drupe down Vincent's back and highlight his spine.

Cat brought her legs from beneath her and wrapped them around Vincent's torso. Vincent moaned at the contact. His deep kisses grew lighter and lighter. He gave her one last peck before pulling away to look at her.

Vincent bowed his forehead to Cat's. "God, I've missed you." He declared breathlessly.

"You have no idea." Cat brought his palm to his cheek.

Fairy lights glowed around her. They form a crown over her head. The image mesmerized Vincent. He was in a trance as he traced the contours of her face. Her chin. Her jaw. Her earlobe. Vincent played with a hair strand before returning it behind her ear.

"So," Vincent whispered. "I've decided something."

Cat pulled back. She stretched her arms until her elbows locked, putting all her weight around his neck. "You have?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Mmm-mm." Vincent nodded. His hands fell to Cat's sides. His thumb teased the bottom of her shirt before going under it and making circles on her bare skin. "This fighting thing, not for us."

"Oh," Cat followed Vincent's thumb, watching his movements instead of feeling them. "I heartily agree." She returned to his gaze.

"We tried it," Vincent added lightly. "I can see why some couples might enjoy it-"

Cat played along. "It can have its advantages."

"But we," Vincent kissed her briefly. "Are ready to move passed that stage in our relationship." He kissed her again. "Don't you think?"

"Oh, I do." Cat assured him. "I really-"

Vincent's lips cut her off. They took hold of her with such a force that propelled Cat backwards. He supported her back, guiding it down to the cement, before climbing on top of her. Cat pulled him tighter to her, squeezing his back before letting go. Her hands found his and their fingers laced together. They shared on last kiss before Vincent released her lips. Cat had trouble catching her breath. He kissed her jaw, her cheek, her nose, her ear, and then her neck.

Cat felt his claws break out in between her fingers. Her heart began to race.

Here they were again. After the promise they just made to each other, Cat wasn't sure how she should feel or what action she should take. Vincent's beast continued to kiss her neck. She continued to hold his claws. Cat had to admit it was nice, but she also wondered if she would have a new mark on her neck. She couldn't worry now though. Cat leaned further into him, her nose stroking his cheek. His skin hardened beneath her palm. She opened her eyes and saw its grayish color.

"Vincent." Cat released his claws and brought her palms to his cheeks. She led him away from her neck and steadied him over her. He tried to kiss her, but Cat managed to hold him back, to keep him an arm's distance away until the yellow in his eyes faded. Cat smiled. "Come back to me."

It took a minute. Vincent's beast hovered over her, brushed against her, until he calmed down. When they gazes collided again, Cat recognized Vincent looking down at her.

He froze. She froze. Neither knew what to say. Vincent pushed himself up just enough to take his weight off of her. Their promise hung in the space between them.

There was softness in Vincent's expression Cat couldn't recognize. It was different than any other concerned look he had before. It was layered. He now had a deeper understanding of their relationship. Somehow, Cat wasn't sure how, Vincent had found peace with it. They both sat up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Cat whispered. Her next words came out before she knew they were acceptable to say. "He likes my neck."

Vincent nodded quietly and tried to pinpoint the moment of his transformation. He reached out to Cat with caution; slowly moving her hair back to reveal the spot his beast liked on the crook of her neck. "Well, at least now you can say it's a hickey."

Cat burst out laughing. She reached for Vincent again, letting her arms rest on his shoulders. "I love you."

Vincent scoffed and shook his head. "Yeah, apparently much more than I gave you credit for. You don't just love me, you love all of me."

Cat's eyes grew to saucers. She teased, "All of you."

Vincent rested his chin on Cat's shoulder. "I am, hands down, the luckiest man-beast, on the planet."

"'Bout time you realized it." Cat rolled her eyes. "Took you look enough."

Abruptly, Vincent jumped to his feet. Cat didn't have time to form a confused expression before he pulled her up and led her to the roof's edge.

"Come on," he released Cat's hand. "I want to show you something."

Cat followed his gaze and scanned New York's skyline. She bulged. "You want to take me out there? You're crazy."

"Yeah, well," Vincent crouched down to lift Cat on his back. He did it so quickly that she didn't have time to protest. "You love a beast. So, apparently, so are you."

"But – Vincent -"

Cat was too late. Vincent had leapt off the building. All she could do now was hold on and enjoy the ride.

* * *

Ten minutes passed before Evan could calm down and rational thought reemerged. If he was being followed, he wanted a plan. He wanted control. If he couldn't think of somewhere to lead them to throw them off track, he wasn't going to lead them anywhere.

Evan starred at the warehouse through his rearview mirror. He thought anger would swell up in him after he put the pieces together. It didn't. He wasn't angry with JT or Cat or even Vincent. The truth, or what little more he had figured out, was liberating rather than constricting. He wasn't surprised. The more time he had spent with Muirfield, the more he understood they saw human beings as robots, free to use at their disposal. Cat, JT, and Vincent always had understood. The three of them knew the game. They had done everything they could to work around the rules. He, Evan, was the last to figure it out; the last to understand the game and how to play.

Something to his right nagged at him. Evan turned to find his work portfolio on its side, papers fanning out across the seat next to him. He dug into its folds for a paper-pad and a pen. Evan scanned around him, searching for his follower. When he wasn't there, he began to sketch out from his photographic memory the two DNA models he knew.

Once Muirfield's perfected beast DNA model was finished, Evan started on Vincent's. From the second genetic code line, the differences between the two models were obvious. His mind burst with inspiration to fix Vincent's model; burned with a desire to find a way to make his transformations easier to control.

Cries came from nowhere and disrupted Evan's concentration. A loud thud above soon followed. If he angled his mirror correctly, he could see Vincent landing on the roof with Cat in his arms. He pointed the mirror down to see Tess running from the warehouse in tears.

Now, he had somewhere to lead his follower. Evan flicked his mirror from the roof to the fence twice more before deciding which direction to lead his follower.

* * *

A/N: Happy Wednesday! Thanks for the love! _xoxo_


	32. For All Of Time

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 32: For All Of Time_

Words failed Cat as Vincent took his final leap to the warehouse roof. There was too much to take in, too much to remember, too much to relive. Cat slide down Vincent's backside instinctively, her mind receiving too much visual input to think about rudimentary actions. Once she was on her feet, Cat couldn't do anything but stand still, letting the current scene engulf her.

The warehouse was miles from Brooklyn Bridge, but its lights brought it closer to them. They glowed like stars meant especially for them. From the ground or from the rooftop of the Empire State building, New York's lights always felt like light pollution. Only here were they stardust.

The wind gathered Cat's hair and threw it across her face. She didn't notice. She was too busy trying to decide which rooftop side had the best view.

Thus she ran in a zigzag undecided, trying to piece together her own panoramic picture. Cat couldn't stand in one place. Soon she would find another angle, another hidden aspect that was better than the one she had just tried to memorize.

Vincent stood amongst Cat's rush and watched her make every turn and every exclamation. Her face lit up with each turn. Vincent didn't care about the view. Cat reminded him of a small child. The wonder on her face highlighted her innocence. Now he knew any attempt to make her happy was purely selfish. He never thought he could experience ecstasy watching someone else's happiness.

"Alright." Cat stopped and turned decisively on the spot. She crossed her arms and took long strides towards Vincent. "You are officially banned from complaining about your life ever again."

Vincent leaned forward and put his hands in his pockets. "Complain about my life?" He asked for clarification. "I never complain about my life."

Cat held her chin up a little longer than Vincent would have liked. The sparkles in her eyes were the only reason he let Cat tease him. "You imply it," she turned her body and shifted her weight. "You tip-toe around it," she shifted in the opposite direction. "You hint that you would like things to be a different way." Cat was in arms' distance and Vincent took the opportunity to wrap them around the small of her back. She reciprocated his gesture and flopped her arms on his shoulders with a comical flare. "But now," she met his longing gaze. "You don't have that excuse anymore."

Vincent tucked his chin. "I don't?"

"Nope…" Cat kept her soft tone while her teasing continued. "Huh-uh. You see you can't leap from rooftop to rooftop, experiencing the city in a way tour companies would only dream of and have a best friend any lonely person in New York would want, which," she added her side-comment more quickly, "let's admit is higher percentage than normal these days," she slowed down. "And be unhappy with you're life at all." Cat released him to draw a line in the air. "It just doesn't work."

"You are forgetting the most important part," Vincent reminded her and pulled her closer.

"Hmm," Cat pulled back. "You mean me? I was just getting to that."

"No," he mocked her. "I wasn't going to say that at all." He lied. "No, the most important part is I have the rare opportunity to save innocent New Yorkers and help them in way makes any guilt from ravishing off you or JT disappear."

"Yeah, you're right." Cat nodded along. "Having an loyal, understanding and patient girlfriend has nothing on free food and board."

"Hmm." Vincent refocused on her lips. "I'm glad we agree."

Cat watched Vincent lean in closer and closer. She managed to squeeze in a, "Oh, me too," before his lips crashed upon hers.

The force of Vincent's kisses was stronger than usual. His arms wrapped tightly around Cat and lifted her up. She bent her knees and let her weight rest on Vincent's shoulders. When he pulled back to switch sides, Cat retracted even further. A grin spread across her face.

Vincent's nose settled in the corner of her smile. "What?"

She adjusted her angle to him, deciding whether to kiss him again or not. He pulled back, slightly, just enough to convey his desire for an answer. Cat blushed. Her eyelashes flickered over his skin.

Vincent squeezed her back for encouragement. "Tell me."

"It's just…" Cat avoided his penetrating gaze. She played with his neck hairs as she thought of how to voice her thoughts. "This whole night…" Cat motioned around her; to the stars, and the lights, and the city. "It's pretty perfect." She paused and gave him a chance to answer. Vincent responded by setting her down and running his fingers through her hair. The motion forced Cat to look at him. "I mean I never thought I would be jealous of roof-hopping."

"Roof-leaping." Vincent corrected her. "I am not an over enthusiastic bunny."

Cat's smile widened for a moment before contracting. She placed her palm on his cheek and stroked it with her thumb. He closed his eyes, wishing to soak up her touch until she dropped her arm to his. "It's just, with everything that's happened between us lately, I don't want tonight to end."

Vincent lowered his forehead to hers. He reached for her hands and laced their fingers together. "Who says it has to?"

Cat laughed. "Oh, just give it a minute-"

Vincent took hold of her lips again. Cat met his intensity. Their tongues met. Their grasps enfolded one another. Vincent found the small of Cat's back again and this time went under her jacket, under her shirt, until his fingers spread out on her bare skin. His touch sent shivers through her spine. His bed, a story below, called to both of them.

A load wail broke them apart. Their gazes snapped to each other in question, but when neither had any answers; Cat broke away, already in a hunt. Vincent recognized Cat's determined expression. It was one of the qualities he loved most about her. It was also what scared him the most. He reached for her, tried to stop her, and warn her against doing anything stupid, but he was too late.

Cat was already at the roof's edge, leaning over it, and calling out, "Tess!" before Vincent could stop her. His instinct kicked in. He ran up behind her, tighten his arms around her, and covered her mouth with his hand.

She fought against him. They struggled together longer than necessary before Vincent released her with an angry expression. He raised his finger to his lips to further iterate his demand.

Cat rolled her eyes at him before running away. It took her several seconds to locate the warehouse's entrance from the roof, but when she did she sprinted for it. She was barely inside before she resumed her shouting. "Tess!" echoed through the warehouse. Cat made it to the downstairs gate before she received a response.

It wasn't the one she sought after. JT appeared through the gateway. "Cat! Shut up!"

She grabbed the lock and attempted to release it, but her shaking hands produced more of a rattling sound than any progress to break free. "What did you do to her, JT?"

"Nothing!" He swatted her hands away through the fence. "She's fine." He swung the door open. "Okay?"

Cat kept her stance on the top step. "Why don't I believe you?"

Vincent caught up with Cat and bumped into her backside. "What was Tess doing here?"

JT cast his hands in the air, said, "Nothing!" and turned his back on them. He stomped to his desk.

Cat smirked. "You are such a bad liar."

"What?" Vincent asked, looking from Cat to JT. "What happened?"

JT leaned across the desk to reiterate his "Nothing!" and ended up straightening his books that were close to falling over the edge as a cover.

Cat nudged Vincent. He turned into her from his position against her back. She met him halfway. "Tess came by to yell at him," Cat murmured her prediction. "They probably ended up making out before he kicked her out."

Shock was evident on Vincent's face. "What?" He whispered into her shoulder.

JT slammed another book on his pile. "You don't know what you're talking about, Cat." He hesitated. "What makes you think I kicked her out?"

Vincent straightened his posture. "You made out with Tess?" He blurted out.

"No!" JT acted outraged. "Of course not. Catherine, like usual, is poking her nose in places it doesn't belong."

"JT-" Cat started.

"Your friend shouldn't be parking in front of this place!" JT focused his attention solely on Cat as he changed the subject. "She's going to get us all killed."

"Well she would feel the need to do that if you kept your mouth shut." Cat retorted back. Vincent shifted behind her. There was, once again, something the two of them knew and kept him from. "You had no right to tell her anything and scare her like that."

"I had -!" JT held his palm to his chest. He leaned forward. "I had no right!" He looked around the room. "Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the world of Vincent and Catherine, where their version of the story is the only version that's correct and anyone who offers a different opinion is ousted."

"JT!" Vincent barked.

"You know what? I'm sick of being yelled at." JT complained to his friends, which now felt more like unsupportive family members that had overstayed their welcome. "I've had my share for the day, especially when I didn't deserve any of it."

A disappointed frown softened Cat's features. "JT-" she tried again.

"Just get out." He said without a fight. "I'm tired."

Cat turned back to Vincent. He raised his brow. She smiled and sneaked her arms around his torso. "So," she gave him a quick peck. "Can we get back to our magical evening?"

"Hmm…" His fingers ran down Cat's arm on instinct. He kept his voice to a whisper as he dragged her away from the fence and, more importantly, JT. "What about Tess? Aren't you worried about her?"

"JT said she was fine." Cat whispered back. "She's a big girl, she can take care of herself."

"Are you sure?" Vincent scanned over Cat's body. The hunger in his eyes made it clear Tess was the last thing on his mind.

"Hmm…" Cat started pulling at the hem of his shirt. "I'm sure."

"Good," he said before reaching for his shirt collar and dragging it over his head. Cat's nails glided over his spine. She tilted her chin up for a kiss. Vincent met her lips and moaned as he surrendered to her.

* * *

Cohen tried to read Marks' notes through his binoculars. No matter what angle he tried, he couldn't read the page. Still, he had to report something to Latimer. So, Cohen decided, instead of recreating Marks' doodles, he would record his movements from the start of the night. Cohen shook his head, put down his binoculars, and took out the small pad of paper he had in his back pocket. Yes, Latimer would have to believe his commitment to her after she saw a timetable of every move Marks' made.

If the trivial details of Marks' night hadn't occupied Cohen's concentration, he might have heard the faint sounds of Vincent's landing on the rooftop across the street or the muffled cries of the woman running away from something distressing.

As it was, Cohen didn't become aware of any noise disturbance until a car engine roared below him. He jerked at the noise, causing his notepad to fall off the rooftop's edge.

By the time he had regained control, Cohen was just able to notice what direction Marks' car went before its lights faded in the distance. He tripped several times on the path down to his car, cursing, racing to follow his target.

* * *

Evan didn't know the right way to handle their situation. His mind fumbled his thoughts as his attention spilt between three points on the road: Tess' lights ahead of him, traffic beside him, and the empty road behind him. The rearview mirror became his second windshield; he focused on its reflections more than anything else around him.

He barely had a few minutes before his Muirfield follower would appear on his tail. When should he notify Tess? Was it already too late? If his job was to protect her, would it be best fulfilled by keeping her in the dark or warning her in case his follower assumed it was Tess he was tracking and not JT or Vincent?

Just as Evan predicted, Muirfied's headlights quickly flickered behind him. His obsession with the rearview mirror had paid off. He knew had moments to act before they both were screwed.

He picked up his phone. Filing through his contacts spilt his attention even further until he found the name he wanted. Evan put his phone to his ear.

* * *

JT couldn't sleep. He kicked off his sheets. He switched sides. He brought his hands over his head.

Tess' image reappeared before him again. No, not again, if he was really being honest with himself, he couldn't get her out of his head. It didn't matter if his eyes were open or closed; she was there in front of him. He replayed her expressions; her anger at him, her longing expression when she reached for him, the hurt when he pushed her away…

He winced. He turned over. A different scene appeared in his head – he had just confided his worries and his fears to her; Tess had listened to his side of the story and looked at him with such empathy that he couldn't help pouring more of his soul out to her than to anyone he had in the last ten years.

Why was he so comfortable talking to her? They barely knew each other and he had no problem confiding in her quietly or meeting her yell for yell.

It didn't make sense. He always had trouble warming up to people, to trusting them. And yet, from the moment she came over for pizza night, they kept up with each other's wisecracks as if they knew each other forever.

"_I was perfectly fine believing Cat had these magical healing powers and that true love conquered all," _Tess had yelled him. "_And all that shit. Until you-"_

JT grabbed his pillow and punched it until he thought it morphed into a more comfortable position. When that didn't work, he pulled his pillow over his ears and hoped to drown out Tess' voice.

The Star Wars theme blared out and disrupted his attempt to find quiet. Without glasses, it took JT longer than usual to find his phone.

He grunted a greeting.

"I need your help," the familiar voice said. "We have a situation here."

* * *

A/N: I have decided weekend update surprises are better than promises. :) I'll see my wonderful readers Wednesday!


	33. If I Could Turn Back Time

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 33: If I Could Turn Back Time_

"Tess!" Evan yelled through phone rings. "Pick up your damn phone!" Tess' end went to voice mail and he slammed it down, letting it fell through a drink holder. Evan eyed his rearview mirror again, trying to locate Muirfield's SUV through traffic while sliding into the adjacent lane.

He recognized Muirfield's SUV three cars behind him. Tess' roof was barely visible over the cars separating them. Evan fumbled around his seat divider until he found his phone.

"What do you want, Marks?" Tess' voice was flat and detached.

"Tess!" Evan's loud cry forced the receiver from Tess' ear. "We're being followed!"

"What?"

"Muirfield is behind us!"

"What are you talking about?" Tess was unsure whether she should believe him or not. "Where are you?"

"I'm two cars behind you!" Evan's panic made it through their phone connection. "I'm going to lead them off your trail as soon as I have the chance, as soon as the traffic clears, but they think I followed you so I needed to warn you."

"You – you - " Tess blinked several times as she processed the information. She recognized Evan's car through her side mirrors and then noticed an overly aggressive SUV, weaving through traffic. "You followed me? You know where -"

"No!" Evan wasted time filling Tess in on the details. "I was following JT. I needed to show him a discovery I made. I parked in front of his address before I realized I was being followed. I didn't know Cat and Vincent usually landed on the roof!"

"They landed on -?"

"Tess!" They didn't have time to go over details. "I followed you so Cat and Vincent and JT could keep their hideout away from Muirfield -"

"Oh, well, good job!" Tess' fear came out as sarcasm. "Now they're on our trail. Did you ever-"

Evan sighed. "Tess! We need a plan."

"Yeah, no kidding." She spat back. "Hey, here's one: How about letting Cat and Vincent fight their own battles? I'm pretty sure they are equipped to handle these situations-"

"So, you wanted me to lead Muirfield to their front door?"

"No! I'm saying out of all your options, I'm pretty sure leading them to me was your worst."

"I'm going to save you!" Evan assured her. "You go one way, I go the other. He can't follow both of us!"

"Sure he can!" Tess yelled, her panic surfacing. "Don't you know anything? Shouldn't you know they're everywhere by now?"

"I'm beginning to figure that out. Thanks." Evan said shortly. "But we are where we are. Do you have any better ideas?"

Tess suggested the obvious. "Uh – how about not following me at all?"

"He knew I was following somebody. Did you want him to think it was their cross-species creature that thudded on the roof across the street or the woman leaving the building in tears?"

"Wow." Tess said with no emotion. "Your deductive reasoning skills are remarkable."

"Should I call them and notify them what's going on?"

"Who?" Tess quickly retorted. "The three musketeers? Don't bother."

"I thought you just said they could fight their own battles, Tess." Evan said, annoyance starting to take over him.

"Well," Evan could hear Tess slam her palm on the steering wheel through the speaker. "This isn't their battle anymore, is it?" She reminded him, "You made that decision."

"But-"

"Evan," Tess imagined the interrogation room around her. "We are not damsels in distress. I am a NYC cop and you are my M.E. We don't need anybody else."

"I don't want them to come rescue us either." Evan swerved through traffic. "But I need to protect Cat the best I can."

"Yeah," Tess agreed sarcastically. "You made that clear when you led Muirfield to her doorstep." She pictured the warehouse's rickety sliding door; the one she had just run out of. The tears she had recovered from when she drove away resurfaced. She finally allowed herself to worry for the man that caused them. "I swear if anything happens to them I will never forgive you."

"You shouldn't." Evan said clearly.

Evan's new compliance was such a surprise for Tess that she almost was afraid of what to say next. One simple request kept distracting her and she knew she wouldn't be able to think straight until she addressed it. "Evan, you have to swear to me you won't call any of them."

"Your golden trio?" Evan looked behind him before switching lanes. "I heard you the first time."

"Promise me."

"Tess. The whole reason I went to Muirfield was to protect Cat. I'm not going to put her in danger now."

"Thank you." Tess whispered.

Evan focused his attention on the rearview mirror again. He spotted Muirfield's black SUV. "Are you ready to turn left?"

"Evan," Tess warned. "I'm not going to leave you alone."

"Yes, you are!" He franticly searched for an outlet, a turn, a dugout, something on the side of the road where he could turn and attract the least amount of attention. "You made me promise not to call for help, you have to promise not follow me."

There was more longing in Tess' voice than she expected. "Evan-"

"Go left Tess!" Evan found a ditch along the roadside. It had a steep dip where any action or disturbance would go unnoticed. He changed to the far right lane. The black SUV followed. "Now!"

Tess sighed through Evan's panic. She knew turning on her signal, conceding control, was her best chance of wining the upper hand at the end of the night. She turned to the left lane.

The phone line sounded dead between them as she drove further away. The silent echo became very real for Evan. "Tess? I need to tell you something."

"Marks." Tess warned. "I am not interested in near-death confessions right now."

"Just listen to me." Evan demanded. Tess obeyed his command. The muted line reverberated through his soul and he felt empty for the first time. "I found a way for Vincent to control his transformations -"

"What?" Tess tried to clarify, shocked. "How?"

"The information is in a folder in my car. I need you to give it to -"

CRASH!

Metal scratched metal, bumpers collided, glass windows shook. Evan's phone dropped when he jolted forward. As he fought for control, Evan peered through his mirror. He recognized Cohen's features instantly.

"Here goes nothing." Evan murmured to himself. He held onto the steering wheel and waited for Cohen force him into the ditch.

* * *

The turning signal still clicked on and off while Tess continued forward. Cars beeped. She didn't hear them. Wheels crossed yellow lines. She didn't notice them. All she could see was Evan's car shrinking behind her; Muirfield's SUV slanting down the ditch as it pushed Evan further into it.

Tess watched his car until it disappeared.

"Men!" Tess exclaimed. She reclaimed control of her own car; turning off the clattering turn signal and adjusting the wheels to the lane's center. The effort failed. Breaks slammed. "Pompous ass, you don't get to be the martyr alone." She looked over her shoulder before crossing the double lines of a two-lane freeway. In the midst of honks, she yelled, "I hate hero complexes!"

A direct line forward to the ditch, though imaginable, was not possible in freeway traffic. It was one those times she wanted Hank, her squad car, with her. Not only could Hank ignore traffic laws in an emergency, but also he gave Tess an extra confidence boost.

Tess conceded from going directly across. She had to move across lane-by-lane, car-by-car. When she had made to the freeway shoulder, she plummeted down the ditch, and spun sharply in the mud until she was heading in the right direction. When Muirfield's SUV came into view, Tess shut off her engine and wiggled out of her car, making sure the door didn't have enough space to slam.

She walked closer. The scene came into focus. A man held Evan at gunpoint. Evan stood holding his hands above his head. Mud squished Tess' boots as she tiptoed forward. The man rocked his gun back, motioning something Tess couldn't see.

"Go get it, Marks!" The man demanded. "Give it to me and you can walk out of here, free."

"I highly doubt that, Cohen" Evan was stupid enough to say. "And I still don't know what you are talking about."

Cohen snickered at him. He unlocked his wrist, taunting, and the gun dropped sideways. "Your notes! Your private research! Hand me your work to me and I'll make sure to protect you from Latimer."

Evan continued to downplay the situation. He smirked. "Okay, so long as you take the credit for it, right?"

Cohen pointed his gun again. Evan's reflexes straightened his spine, but then he relaxed it, half laughing. Cohen squinted at him. "You think this is funny?"

"I think it's funny that a pea-brain such as yourself could ever claim my work with any creditability," Evan retorted.

Cohen took a step closer. "What makes you think I won't shoot your brains out?"

Tess crouched beside Muirfield's car. She waited for instinct to kick in, to tell her what do and how to do it. It didn't come naturally to her tonight. Evan still held his boyish smirk and Tess wondered if her contradictory feelings about him clouded her judgment. She stood, took another step forward and pulled her gun from its holster.

She aligned it to Cohen's scull. With another tiptoe forward he would feel the metal against his skin. Tess hesitated. Evan's presence hung over her. He wasn't a partner. He wasn't a suspect. Was he a victim if he was responsible for their current predicament? Was he a friend?

Once Tess stopped thinking, the instinct she was waiting for pulled her forward. The metal touched the skin. Cohen froze. "What makes you think I won't?" She whispered.

Cohen lowered his weapon. His body shook against her. Tess knew his type. Tough on the outside, but suddenly squeamish when he lost control. "Drop the gun." Tess demanded, he complied, and she kicked it away. Tess towered over Cohen and brushed her lips over his ear. "Now I understand we're having a little bit of trouble. Is there anything I can do to help smooth things over?"

"Someone will be here in a minute." Cohen tried to threaten. "You have no idea who you're dealing with, lady."

"Detective, mister." Tess corrected him with pride. "And here's the thing. Unfortunately, I do know whom I'm dealing with. You, on the other hand, don't have that advantage."

Cohen sniggered. He tried to face Tess, but she fought against him. "Today is my lucky day. I thought it would difficult capturing Marks. I never dreamed I would find not one, but two, additions for the beast family tonight."

Any color left in Evan's appearance drained. The announcement wasn't news to him. Somehow he knew, somehow he always knew. Memories flashed before him as he processed Cohen's victorious grin; every Muirfield surface was wiped when he walked away from it, a gloved hand took every container when he was done with it. Muirfield had multiple samples of his DNA.

While Tess' confidence and instincts held her upright, she felt shivers run down her spine. The sirens in the distance didn't help. The gun felt heavy in her hand. Why was she hesitating? Why was taking action hard? She could claim self defense and no questions would be asked. The sirens grew louder.

Tess stepped back to aim. Her gaze narrowed and she focused her shot. Her finger tightened around the trigger just as a foreign hand took hold of its barrel.

She looked up, horrified. Evan, with a finger over his lips, tugged the gun from her grasp. "Hide," his lips read. Tess wanted to protest, to fight, but she couldn't. He motioned to his car. "Remember." Formed on his lips.

Tess nodded. A cure for Vincent's transformations was held in a folder that car. Of course she remembered. Evan smiled a thank you before turning away. On instinct, Tess fell to the ground and crawled behind Evan's front wheel.

"Come on, Cohen." Evan led him past Muirfield's black SUV. "I think I hear Latimer pulling up. I want to show her what a great job you did on your little mission today."

Cohen complied with Evan, a gun still to his head. "Don't think your friend is going to escape-" He taunted and a second black SUV fumbled its way into the ditch. Evan made contact with Latimer. For some reason, she smiled at him. "They never-"

The smile was permission. Evan backed away from Cohen. He aimed. He fired. Cohen fell.

All was still in that moment. Traffic noise even seemed mute. Blood poured out of man who, Evan realized, nobody knew his first name. He didn't know anything about Cohen. Did that make murder easier?

A door slammed. Evan noticed heals appear below the SUV's opening door. There was still a smile on Latimer's face as she approached him. "Thank you," she condoned his shot. "Cohen was becoming such a pebble in my shoe."

"You wear heals," was all Evan could say.

Latimer laughed. Her right hand went to the pearls around her neck. "You're quite right, I do." She tilted her head. "I always wear heals. I need to feel like I'm walking over the men that work for me."

Evan was silent.

"I have a proposal for you." Latimer swayed her hips as she approached Evan. "I thought we could go for a drink, on me of course, and we could negotiate the best way I could reward you for your actions. What do you say?"

Evan managed a fake smile. "I'd love that," he replied, knowing he had no other choice.

"Perfect." Latimer reached for Evan. She put one arm around his shoulders and led him to her car.

Halfway there, Evan hesitated.

"What's wrong?" Latimer seemed concerned.

"The mess." Evan brought up for Tess, who was still hidden. "Shouldn't we clean it up?" He asked so Tess would know how much time she had to escape.

"Oh, don't worry about that." Latimer waved him off. "Smithers will be along shortly."

"Right…" Evan trailed off.

Latimer opened the passenger door for Evan. "I can't wait to know you better, Marks." She told him sweetly before shutting the door on him. "You're mine now."

* * *

Tess gasped for breath. No matter how hard she inhaled, she could not take in enough air. If she wasn't clutching her chest for support, perhaps she would notice the tears streaming down her face.

She rocked back and forth, slamming her back against the Evan's car metal for far too long, trying to calm herself. Soon, she worried she couldn't recover alone. Just then, a distance feeling tugged her to stand and turn towards Evan's car.

"_I found a way for Vincent to control his transformations -"_

Pouncing on Evan's handle, Tess would have slipped if she didn't have it for support. The door was unlocked. The folder was there, lying out on the seat, like Evan promised it would be.

Every car on the freeway ran through Tess' heart. Which one belonged to Smithers? How far could she run before he found her?

Tess brushed her tears away before grabbing Evan's folder. She scanned the area before sprinting back to her car.

Still struggling for air, Tess slammed her door and threw Evan's folder in the backseat. Her wheel spun in the mud a few times until it moved forward. As she returned to the freeway, Tess almost crashed with incoming traffic.

The instant she felt any self-control, Tess reached for her phone.

"Yeah?" JT grunted through his half-conscious state.

"I need your help," Tess said. "We're in trouble."

* * *

A/N: I love Tess and Evan trying to be badass without Cat or Vincent! They will be back in full force, and in quite a fury, next chapter. The chapter was action packed as it was, plus I thought I give them a little more time to enjoy each other ;). _Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for the love._


	34. If I Could Make You Mine

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Chapter 34: If I Could Make You Mine_

JT understood the panic behind Tess' words before he comprehended their meaning. "…And then this woman showed up, creepily flirted with him, led him to his car-"

JT felt for his glasses. "Evan didn't resist?"

"He didn't have a choice, J-"

"I know," JT stated firmly. "I'm trying to under-"

"Cat is going to kill me!" She cried out.

"Tess," JT added softness to his reassurance. "Cat has been out for Muirfield since she knew what happened to her Mom and Vincent-"

"I let him go!"

"You didn't have a choice!" JT tried to comfort her. "Cat knows you couldn't have stopped them. She'll be glad you're okay. I know I am-"

JT froze. His words, their meaning and the memory they recalled, hung on the phone line between them. Background traffic disrupted the moment. He whispered. "Where are you?"

"I'm not telling you where I am." Tess prepared a response. "I don't need you to save me."

"Tess-"

"I don't want you to save me." Her readjusted response quivered through his veins. "I'm perfectly capable of saving myself. Besides-"

"Let's not make it about you then!" JT searched for his shoes. "Let's say I need to come after you for Evan's research."

Tess loosened her grip on the steering wheel. "JT-"

"You don't have to tell me where you are. I have better GPS equipment than your station's. You don't have a choice."

"I'm asking you to leave me alone." Tess found a firm tone. "I cannot handle you chasing after me."

"Tess…" JT ached for expansion on the subject.

"I need – the whole reason I was calling was to ask you to ask Vincent to find Evan."

"You called me, though, and not Cat."

Traffic disrupted the phone line's silence again. "I didn't want to worry Cat." She lied.

JT was not aware of the frown on his face. "I don't think there's much we can do, if Evan went with Muirfield willingly."

"So," Tess scoffed. "We're going to give up?"

"Okay," JT conceded to his weakness for Tess. "I will handle it under one condition."

"What?"

"Promise me you won't go looking for Evan."

"JT…" Tess begged. He finally heard the longing he was waiting for.

JT matched her tone. "I won't be able to think straight without knowing you're safe."

After a torturing silence, Tess gave in, "Fine."

* * *

As Cat slept, Vincent traced her naked outline. He was so mesmerized by her breathing he was sure her inhales and exhales were what kept him awake. He nervous system bolted alert when he brushed hair from her neck to reveal fresh bite marks.

A growl parted his lips and he sat up. How could he let his desires take over him again, knowing the outcome? His legs dropped down as he reached for his boxers.

"Vincent?" Cat woke. The sheets crinkled as she moved towards him. Her fingers brushed over his backside. "What's wrong?"

He pulled up his boxers in silence. He couldn't talk now, not after their magical night together. A solution needed to come to him; a counterargument he could offer before he would dare speak out against 'I'm fine' pleads. They had already gone down that road.

"Nothing," he lied.

Cat ran her fingers over his spine. "Vincent-"

"I need some water." He excused himself and headed for the bathroom.

A creaking announced JT in the kitchen's gateway. Cat gasped quickly and pulled the covers to her chin. "Not so fast, buddy." He walked closer, much to Cat's discomfort. "We need to talk."

Vincent eyed Cat. They demanded, "Get out!" in unison.

JT raised his arms innocently. "Whoa, I would advise not shooting the messenger."

Cat adjusted her covers. "Make fast, JT."

Their eyes met. "Does it look like I'm any more comfortable than you are right now?"

Vincent stepped between them. "What. Is. It?"

JT readjusted his glasses. "We have a situation." He retold Tess' story, excluding Evan's work for a cure, not pausing for questions and skipping over exclamations.

"That woman must have taken Evan to Muirfield headquarters." Vincent suggested.

Cat looked at him. "Do we know where headquarters is or is that our first obstacle?" Vincent ducked from her gaze. "What? What aren't you telling me?"

JT cleared his throat. "Vincent's been following Evan to Muirfield's headquarters everyday."

"What?" Cat cried. "How could you not tell me that?"

"I didn't want to worry you!" His tone conveyed his decision was not up for debate. He took a deep breath. "What's the chance of you staying here with JT while I find Evan?"

"Zero." Cat replied sharply.

Vincent begged. "Catherine…"

"No! 'Catherine…' what? You know me better than that."

"One would hope," JT chimed in.

Vincent pointed to the door. "Bye JT!"

"Don't do anything stupid." JT pointed at him. "Not that you will, because we all know things couldn't possibly turn any worse."

"Thank you!" Cat barked at JT as he exited, the fence slamming behind him.

Cat scurried for her clothes. "What were you thinking? Hanging out near Muirfield."

Vincent pulled on his pants. "I was thinking Catherine will kill me if anything happens to Evan."

"Oh! Well." Cat buttoned her shirt. "Good job."

"Catherine - "

"You should let me go alone; make it up to me."

Vincent scoffed.

Cat stood. "I don't want you anywhere near Muirfield!"

"We're even then!"

"Fine!" Cat spread out her arms. "Let's go."

Vincent shook his head, bent down and waited for Cat to climb on his back. Their journey across New York's skyline passed in silence; neither one daring to push the other further than they already had.

* * *

Leaping across Manhattan had no magic now. Four hours later, clouds hid the stars. Vincent felt the difference in Cat's grasp; her nails dug into his skin. He held her tighter in response, but he couldn't assuage her stress. All he could do was continue fighting his instinct, the one that kept trying to lead Cat away from Muirfield instead of towards it.

Cat released Vincent when he landed mid-roof. By the time he found his bearings, Cat was leaning over the building's street-side edge.

"Okay," She regrouped. "You need to worry about Evan first and me second-"

"Catherine-"

"I know that's hard for you." Cat continued over him. "But I want you to try."

"That's not-" Vincent tripped over his words. "I know you can be kick-ass when you need to be, Cat-"

"Good." She nodded.

"But that's not my concern here," Vincent warned. "Catherine." His fingers rubbed her arms, making circler patterns. "You're too emotional for this."

"I'm just emotional enough." Cat pulled back. "Do you think they brought him back yet or should we stand guard until he shows?"

"I think you should breathe for a second." Vincent warned.

"Evan is my friend. I need to save him, not you."

Vincent watched emotions run through Cat. He feared for her, now more than ever. Some part of him knew their mission would fail. Why he didn't tell her their efforts were a lost cause, why he didn't warn her, would be a mystery Vincent would never solve.

"There he is!" Cat called out causing Vincent to cover her mouth. He looked over the building's edge against his better judgment. Sure enough, Evan was strolling below, ice cream in hand; a tall woman with pearls accompanying him.

Still trying to comprehend the picture, Vincent loosened his gripped on Cat enough for her to break free. "Catherine!" Vincent's anger pounded through his whisper, but Cat ignored him as she ran away.

Cat's police training restrained her passion. A mix of fear and pride surged through Vincent as she hid in the building's shadows. Their minds were more in sync as each second passed; Latimer's hair twirling, one heal clicking forward; fronts turning towards the door, Evan's fake smile fading…

Cat lunged into the street. Vincent dropped from the roof. Latimer spun back. Evan dropped his ice cream.

Evan cried, "What the hell are -" before Vincent tackled Latimer. Cat grabbed Evan's hand, lacing their fingers together, and pulled him around the corner into the shadows of Muirfield's towering headquarters.

"Cat! What are you doing here? You need to run-"

"It's my job to rescue you, remember?" Cat pulled him deeper into the alley. "I'm going to save you!" She gasped for breath. "How could you share smiles over ice cream with that woman?"

"I don't have a choice," Evan stated with such confidence that a sane person would know not to question him.

"Of course you do!" Cat cried. "You always have a choice."

Evan tilted his head. A single tear slid down his cheek. "My choice is to save you, Catherine. That will always be my choice." He squeezed her hand. "I know my fate is here. You need to accept it as I have."

"I could never. I would never." Disgust covered her true emotion. "Come with me."

"Catherine!" Evan reached for her cheek. "If I go with you, Latimer is going to take Vincent. You know that."

"No, she won't!" Cat assured him. "He'll find a way to escape. He always does." Cat pulled him, "Evan, You can fight Muirfield with us. All you need to do is believe in happy endings -"

Evan yanked their bodies together. He lowered his forehead to hers. "You are my happy ending." Cat could barely hear Evan's whisper. "I love you." His hand rested over her heart. Tears formed behind her eyes. "I have you now and that's all I want."

"Evan-"

"And I need you to know my happy ending is linked to yours." His fingers threaded through Cat's hair. Evan looked deeply into Cat's eyes. "That was always true, from the first time you appeared on my fire escape."

Cat struggled to fight for him, to convince him to run with her. Tears clouded her vision when she reached for him; caressing his cheek, wrapping his hair around his ear, tracing his features with a single finger. She searched Evan's gaze. Every emotion, every regret they needed to share was somehow communicated. Slowly, her head bowed in a nod. Evan leaned down and picked her lips up in a kiss.

"Remember that," he said and stepped back. "Remember my happy ending depends on yours. So you better find happiness for my sake."

"Evan-"

"It's okay, Cat. This way I'll always be with you." Evan shrugged. "That's all I wanted anyway."

Cat closed her eyes to absorb his words. When she opened them, Evan had disappeared. She collapsed into herself, too destroyed to follow him.

* * *

Rounding the corner, a strange relief flooded over Evan. All his worries disappeared and a new confidence replaced them. Evan didn't quite know what faith was until now.

A suppressed scream above dragged Evan in its direction. Although he didn't recognize the sound, he knew it could only belong to Latimer. There was a haughty quality to everything she embodied.

Vincent had Latimer on the opposite roof. Evan found them before crossing the deserted street. The pale tawny streetlights were used to suspicious behavior here, flickering on and off as if they knew they had something to hide.

All his focus steadied to one point. Evan jumped to the fire escape ladder and let his weight pull it down.

The old Evan would have ducked beneath the roof's edge and inspected the scene for possible hazards. Now he ran straight though. Latimer was a hundred feet away. Vincent's beast sprawled over her. She smiled into his fangs; cackling as he moved around her, threatening her beauty's perfection.

"Stop!" Evan yelled. He flattened his palms. "It's okay!"

Vincent's beast saw him first. Latimer followed. She pushed against Vincent's beast on purpose, anticipating his claws digging into her skin. The result wasn't quite what she desired; only his index claw managed to skim over her shoulder on his way up. The mark would not last.

Once Vincent's beast stood, he looked from Latimer to Evan, somewhat disoriented. Evan ran to Latimer. His arms outstretched, "Marie!"

Latimer's arms found home around his torso. A smirk marred her porcelain features. She looked from Evan, satisfied, and then to Vincent's beast, victorious.

"You're both mine." Latimer pulled a gun from in her skirt and pointed it at Vincent's beast. "A bullet won't kill you, but it'll wound you enough so I can take you in."

Vincent's beast howled at her. Evan noticed his veins popping out. The last time he saw Vincent's beast he felt threatened, now all he felt was pity.

An unfamiliar force pushed Evan forward. Confidence, rather than fear, propelled him to knock Latimer's gun from her grasp.

"Marks!" She addressed him like a soldier. "What the hell are you doing?"

He kicked the gun away. "You can't have both of us. He's going to fight against you, probably kill you, while I am here, at your disposal. It's your choice."

Latimer's gaze darted between Vincent's beast and Evan as if she was picking which meat cut she desired for dinner. Vincent's beast twisted his neck, ready to pounce at any moment. There was something alluring about him. But, she turned to Evan, there was nothing like virgins. Young and naïve; they had no idea what they were in for. She could cut Evan into exactly the kind of meat she always desired.

"You'll have to do, then." She addressed him; her heals clicking with each step. Latimer reached for his collar and patted it down. Her nail-tips rested above it. The touch shivered through him. "Let's go inside, my Evan. You should rest before your big day tomorrow."

Vincent emerged from his beast in time to see Latimer leading Evan down the stairs. He intended to go after them, but something held him back. "Wait!"

Evan turned slightly. Latimer pulled him forward. He touched her cheek to reassure her. "Let me say goodbye." He asked. "Then I'm all yours."

Latimer released him. She put on a sad smile, which Evan couldn't decipher if it was real or fake.

Vincent furrowed his brow at Evan. They spoke at a whisper. "What are you doing?"

"Breathing." Evan answered.

"What?" The brow sunk further. "You don't have to do this. I can save you."

"No you can't!" Pain scarred Evan's face. "If I go with you, they'll never stop looking for us. You won't have a chance. You're destined to be with Cat and I'm destined to save you. I know it."

"Evan-"

"No!" He threw his arm across his body. "You shouldn't have brought her here!"

Vincent nodded, suppressed shame at his actions surfaced.

Evan relaxed and stepped backwards. "Let me go, Vincent. I can't be saved." He managed a smile. "It's okay."

Vincent stared as Evan turned back to Latimer. He placed a hand on the small of her back and led her down the stairs.

When the stair creaks ceased, Vincent lunged for the roof's edge. Latimer opened Muirfield's marble door for Evan, waiting for him to enter before latching the door for the night.

The streetlights struggled to keep their feeble light. Each one lit sporadically, fighting to stay on. It was no use. Within seconds of the marble door latch click, each light extinguished one by one.

Vincent located Cat through the darkness. She was to his right, hidden between trashcans and stacked cars. She pulled her jacket tighter as she found Vincent amongst the skyline. Their eyes met and connected.

For after their magnificent failure, how else could they communicate except by words unspoken?

* * *

A/N: Thanks so much for waiting! The last chapter is almost done. I'm excited to reveal endings, happy or not, of Evan and Latimer, JT and Tess, and Vincent, his beast and his beauty. I'm planning to post it next Wednesday unless everyone strongly convinces me otherwise. Special credit is due to AOD4L, she was quite the fan, edging me on all week until I finished. _xoxo._


	35. I'll Go Wherever You Will Go

Words Unspoken

_By Schroederplayspiano_

_Dedicated To AOD4L and SnowandJames4eva: Who have followed me for over a year, reading every chapter I post and sharing their excitement for every twist and turn I write. Thank You.  
_

_Chapter 35: I'll Go Wherever You Will Go_

_-A Week Later-_

Moonlight flooded through Evan's window. It was peaceful. Quiet. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen the moon. In fact, Evan squinted, his last memory seemed a blur to him. He lay there for a minute more to enjoy the moon's brilliance, suppressing any recent memories that would disrupt the moment. His effort backfired. Memories flashed before him: chains and needles and faceless strangers and blinding lights. Evan's eyelids flew open. He looked around the bland room – understanding why he was here on one level and not understanding it on another.

Her.

Latimer was all that made sense. She was the only explanation he had. She was the only explanation he dreaded.

Evan tried to look around the foreign room. His neck was stiff. He tried to bring his legs over the bedside. His joints were locked. He tried to clear his throat. A small growl came out instead.

He ceased breathing. It was the only function he could control. As Evan held his breath, his trained M.E. mind went to work, racking his brain through medical diagnoses. The same memories flashed again. There wasn't a medical explanation. He managed to raise his locked arm. His skin wasn't its normal color. Turning his arm around, he noticed its grayish hue. The skin was translucent.

As if a chain pulled him forward, Evan bolted upright. His spine could not curve. He knew this specific side effect would not last. How did he know that? What side effect?

Yellow-lined pages appeared in his mind. Falling atop each other, Evan could not make out the equations he had written in red ink. His photographic memory had blocked out his discoveries somehow. Something told him he didn't need to remember his discoveries to understand what had happened to him.

More memories flashed; streetlights flickering and ice cream and a woman interlocking their fingers and another woman screaming and iron stairs and a strange creature hovering over the innocent woman, threatening her.

He knew that creature. Evan looked down at his bare legs and raised his grayish arm again. He was that creature.

He was the beast.

A creak disrupted the night's perfect stillness. It echoed down the hall outside Evan's room. When it faded, two more creaks followed. They sped up. They multiplied. They grew louder.

They weren't creaks at all. They were heals' clicks.

"My Evan," Latimer appeared in the doorway. "I saw that you were awake. I'm so glad you are okay."

Something made Evan uncomfortable. It wasn't her high-pitched, concerned voice. He remembered its sound. It wasn't her wiry hair. He remembered feeling its stiffness against him once before. It wasn't her pearls. It wasn't her artificial smile. No, there was something else.

In his rigid, raw body, Evan scanned over Latimer again. A robe, translucent as his new skin, covered her. Her artificial smile turned to a timid one and she closed the door.

Evan's lips parted as she walked closer to him. One click followed a second before she halted, her gaze always set on him. Latimer lifted one foot from its heal, sinking six inches, before releasing the other. Her fingers automatically went to her pearls.

She untied her robe to reveal her naked body. "I told you I had a surprise for you." After one more barefooted step, Latimer reached out for Evan and ran her fingers through his hair. Gentle at first, her strokes pulled harder and harder until Evan's eyes burned and turned a new mustard color. His hands transformed into claws.

Before she closed the distance between them, Latimer took hold of Evan's beast's claws and brought them to her back, letting them rest on her bare skin. When their lips touched, his claws dug into Latimer and she let out a cry of ecstasy.

* * *

After doing everything she could to avoid Evan's morgue, Cat wondered why today, of all days, her feet had brought her here. She hated it here.

Fifteen minutes passed in the doorway before she could step inside. Her finger skimmed the countertop surfaces. If she closed her eyes, she could see Evan; rocking out to music while he cleaned his exam table. She smiled faintly at the memory, but it soon faded. Unconsciously, Cat tucked a hair behind her ear. What was she doing here? Pivoting quickly, her hair spun around her, and she headed towards the door.

Cat crashed into JT. "Whoa." He stepped back, his coffee threatening to overflow. "Uh, hi."

Despite her sullen mood, Cat managed a smile. Her right arm crossed her body and rested on her shoulder. "You don't do well with full cups of coffee, do you?

JT furrowed his brow, but soon remembered the last time he spilled coffee on her. "I guess you see through my tough act to my clumsy-side." He cringed. "Don't you?"

Cat scrutinized him. "What tough act?"

JT laughed, put down his bag, and took a sip of coffee. "How are you doing?"

She looked down, spotted sweater fuzz on her black pants, and picked it off. "I wish people would stop asking me that."

"Oh, but," his features smoothed, "Like I said before, we're family. Its in my contract."

"Really?" Cat challenged him, amused. "When did you ever say that?"

JT frowned at her. "In that note…" he started. Cat starred at him as if he was prying into her secret life. "…Attached to your flowers…when you were in the hospital. Who else would call your visits intrusions?"

"Huh," Cat said from a far off land. JT watched comprehension come to her as she focused on a point somewhere passed him. "I should have figured that one out."

JT chuckled. "Don't worry, I've since stopped thinking of them as intrusions." Cat smiled at him briefly. The morgue was silent before he disrupted it with a whisper. "So, how are you really?"

Cat sighed. "Good enough to handle visiting his morgue for the first time, still upset enough to not want to talk about it."

"Fair enough."

"Besides," she continued. "I should be asking you that question."

"Yeah…" JT placed his coffee cup on the counter. "Speaking of things we don't want to talk about."

"It may not seem so right now," Cat whispered. "But you made the right decision."

"Right." An energy kick jolted through JT. He crossed his arms. Then released them to point passed Cat. "And what decision was that? The one where I break a sweet girl's heart by breaking up with her for no reason or the one where I wait around like a pathetic loser waiting for a woman to forgive me who never will?"

"Tess will forgive you, JT." Cat promised. "I know."

"Women and their secret languages." JT rolled his eyes. "Okay."

"No, JT." Cat turned so they faced each other. Their eyes met. "I know. Any woman would be a fool to reject you. Tess is not a fool."

He inhaled deeply. Their gazes swirled around each other as a thousand meanings passed between them.

All of sudden, JT blinked. He readjusted his glasses. "Thank you."

"Apparently we're family. It's in my contract." Cat gave him a friendly nudge.

Smiling, JT swayed back from the nudge. She laughed at him while he tryied to regain his balance.

Tess' unusual reserved self appeared in the doorframe. She stepped back to avoid contact with JT. "Oh, sorry," she mumbled. "I didn't mean to ruin the fun."

Smiles disappeared instantly.

"No," Cat formed an apologetic expression. "We – I have spent too much time here anyway."

"It's okay, Cat." Tess assured her. "Good, even."

"Yeah…" came off Cat's tongue without her processing their interaction. She blinked and broke from the counter. "I have to go."

"Cat-" JT and Tess called together. It was no use. Cat had escaped the room as fast as she could.

On instinct, Tess turned back to JT. She caught him starring at her. He didn't try to hide his intentions.

Tess bowed from his gaze for a moment, regrouping herself, before returning to him. The depth of his stare trapped her and she couldn't help whispering. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh," JT motioned his work. "I'm just collecting the rest of my stuff. Since…"

"…You no longer work here." Tess finished his thought. She used the counter to stretch out her arms. A few beats passed before either spoke again. "I should have called you back."

JT waved her off. "There was a lot going on."

"No." She straightened her posture. "I should have. I wanted to-" His gaze shot to hers. "I tried. A much of times actually-"

"It's okay, Tess."

Tess nodded. Her eyes wavered at him, trying to settle in his gaze, but fell between his shoes instead. "I didn't mean for you to break up with Sara as -"

"I didn't do it for you, Tess. I did it for me."

Finally, she looked at him. Sparkles brightened her eyes. "I didn't mean for me." She teased. "I meant, as the right thing to do." Tess watched JT closely, his serious expression slowly disappearing. She shook her head at him. "That is what your message said, right? 'It was the right thing to do.'"

As Tess mocked him, JT stepped closer and closer. When she finished, his feet were between hers and his hands found her hips. "Are you planning on making fun of me every chance you-"

"Yes, Forbes. Every single one I-"

He cut her off with his lips. She moaned before lifting her arms and resting them on his shoulders. His arms slid around her and gently pulled her closer.

Just as they began to fall deeper into each other, JT abruptly pulled back.

"Seriously?" Tess exclaimed. "We can't catch a break. What is this time? Do you have some wife I don't know about?"

"I have something for you." JT announced, standing straighter.

"And yet, that's not denying you a wife."

JT wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Hmm, wouldn't you like to know?" He teased and reached into his bag.

Tess jumped on the counter. "This better not be a impulse of the moment type gift. I want planning. I want you to have dragged it around all week, waiting for the right – Oh. My. God."

There before her, glistening in the morgue's florescent light, were glass figures of Disney's Cogsworth and Lumiere.

"Happy Endings don't happen over a ninety minute movie, Tess." JT said breathlessly. "You need to give me time, give us time." They starred at each other, frozen, letting the magnetic pull between them increase. Finally, JT motioned the little characters. "And yes, I have been carrying them around the whole week."

Tess broke out a laugh and reached for him. He let her drag him to her, aching to return her touch. He cupped her face and traced the outline of her features. Tess ran her fingers through his curly hair. "Can we make-out now?"

"Hm-mmm," JT moaned into her lips before capturing them.

Their limbs soon made knots with each other. Trapped in their tangle, Tess struggled to find air. JT continued kissing her; her cheek, her neck, her earlobe before finding her lips again. Tess kept her eyes open a second longer than usual, her lips upturning as she spotted the Cogsworth figure chuckling up at her.

* * *

Cat bolted upright. Sheets were covered in sweat. Somewhat disoriented, Cat didn't notice Vincent's comforting hand on the small of her back.

"You're okay," he whispered.

"Look at me." Cat motioned to her face, which was wet with tears. "I'm not okay."

"It was a nightmare, Catherine." Vincent sat up and wiped tears off her face. "They will pass." Cat nodded. Vincent's hand dropped to her shoulder. "Were you me or Latimer this time?"

Breathing deeply, Cat brushed over her face and threaded her fingers through her hair. She turned and look out the window. It was barely daybreak. If she looked close enough, Cat could see hints of sunlight hiding behind old New York buildings.

"I was Evan." She announced to the window. "He was entering Muirfield's building with Latimer."

Vincent made a noise, but she refused to decipher it. Cat was glad she couldn't see his expression. The slow rising sun kept her distracted.

"That's good, Catherine." Vincent continued to whisper.

She half-turned as her gaze shot back to him. Pain sharpened her features. "How can you say that?"

Vincent focused on her spaghetti strap, rolling it back and forth across her shoulder. "You know why."

Cat kicked off the sheets violently, let out a sigh, and turned away again. Vincent watched her for a moment before lying back down and cuddling beside her. He put his arm around her. He kissed her shoulder. "I will never understand his decision," She announced.

"You do." Vincent said breathlessly. "You trust it more than he does."

Silent tears fell and curved around her chin. Pride surged from him. Vincent couldn't see her face, but he knew she was processing his words, and letting them sink in. Her tough act had guarded her true emotions all week. She never allowed herself to breakdown.

"Why?" Cat asked. If she knew the answer, she buried it too deep to grasp.

"Because," he started slowly, closing his eyes when he spoke. "You are the only one whose love runs deep enough to consider sacrificing yourself for a beast."

Slowly, she turned back to him. Their foreheads bowed together. "Vincent-"

He opened his eyes to peer into hers. "You cannot lose that part of you now."

Tucking her chin, Cat let his gaze succumb her, her breaths shortening as it grew deeper and deeper. "I can." She whispered. "He cured you. I never have to love a beast again."

Vincent dropped his attention back to Cat's bare shoulder. His beast would appear again, he knew. Evan's DNA change only gave him a way to control his transformations, not end them all together.

"You never had to, Catherine." He declared. "It's who you are. Don't fight against yourself." She closed her eyes. "Believe me, I tried it for ten years. It's not worth it." Vincent brought his palm to Cat's soft cheek and tucked a lose hair behind her ear. "I wish I could thank Evan." Cat looked at him like an omniscient angel. A Mona Lisa smile colored her features. "He gave me my life back. He gave me you…And all I could do was stand there as he walked into her arms."

"That's what he wanted, Vincent."

"He wanted you to be happy, Catherine." Vincent continued to stroke his thumb over her cheek. "Are you?"

"As long as I have you." Cat brought her hand up to cover his. "Any part of you, whatever form you happen to be in, I'll be happy."

"Then I will be too," Vincent whispered. Cat nodded and bowed her forehead, letting Vincent kiss it briefly. Sheets ruffled when she turned back to the window and looked up to the sky. Vincent readjusted his position to lie beside Cat again, stomach to back. He rested his chin on her shoulder and his arm drooping around her torso, pulling her closer.

The sunrise had covered almost all of the stars in the sky. One shined through the window. Without knowing it, Vincent and Catherine starred at the single star together. Destiny guiding its twinkle as it slowly faded into the sunrise.

_-The End-_

* * *

A/N: What a welcome into the Beauty and the Beast Fandom! I've learned so much from Words Unspoken, especially from Evan's character and storyline. It is so gratifying to map out a journey and maddened your readers before winning them over.

Story chapters titles are obviously stolen from "Wherever You Will Go" by The Calling. I love Charlene Soraia's version as well, but it will always be The Calling's song to me. The song screamed Vincent and Catherine to me and desperately searched YouTube for a video. Ironically, videos were only made after the midseason finale.

Thank you for all the support over the last seven months, it keeps me excited to write for you guys. I do have another Beauty and The Beast story planned and hopefully it will come to fruition. It won't be in the near future, though, my brain needs a break from writing! Thank you for every single alert, review and favorite. I'm glad my musings have touched a chord with somebody. _I don't know what to say, other than I hope to see you next time. xoxo. __  
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